NOVEMBER, 1909. 

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No. 105. 


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National Board of Fire Underwriters 


COMMITTEE ON FIRE PREVENTION 


REPORT 


ON THE 


CITY OF DUBUQUE, IOWA. 


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NATIONAL BOARD OF FIRE UNDERWRITERS 


135 WILLIAM ST., NEW YORK 

J. Montgomery Hare, President, New York. Charles G. Smith, Secretary, New York. 

A. W. Damon, Vice-President, Springfield. Marshall S. Driggs, Treasurer, New York. 

H. K. Miller, General Agent. 

W. E. Mallalieu, Ass’t Gen’l Agent. 


COMMITTEE ON FIRE PREVENTION 


George W. Hoyt, New York. Chairman. 


W. N. Kremer, New York. 

E. H. A. Correa, New York. 
A. H. Wray, New York. 

C. F. Shallcross, New York. 


U. C. Crosby, New York. 

R. M. Bissell, Hartford. 
Edward Milligan, Hartford. 
J. A. Kelsey, New York. 


The investigation of conditions in Dubuque, Iowa, was made during September, 1909, by a party 
organized as follows: 

F. P. Walther, F. A. Raymond, G. L. Bean, 

Structural Engineer. Fire Dept. Engineer. Hydraulic Engineer. 

Kenneth Lydecker, 

Asst. Engineer. 


Acknowledgment is made of valuable assistance rendered by the Hon. Henry A. Schunk, Mayor, 
the officials of the various city departments concerned, and others. 


G. W. Booth, 

Hydraulic Engineer. 


Office Engineers. 


A. C. Hutson, 
Office Engineer. 


November 26, 1909. 






Dubuque, Iowa. 


INDEX. 

SUBJECT. 

City in General. 

Water Supply. 

Fire Department. 

Fire Alarm System. 

Fire Department Auxiliaries. 

Building Department... 

Explosives and Inflammables. 

Electricity. 

Conflagration Hazard .. .. . . 

Recommendations. 

General Summary. 



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National Board of Fire Underwriters. 


COMMITTEE ON FIRE PREVENTION. 


DUBUQUE, IA. 




NOVEMBER. 1909. 

KEY 

Congested Ito/pe District 

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Fire Limits shown thus 

WATER SUPPLY 

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Mams 4 Inches m diameter 
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FIRE DEPARTMENT 

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National Board of Fire Underwriters. 

COMMITTEE ON FIRE PREVENTION. 

DUBUQUE, IA. 

























DUBUQUE, IOWA. 

REPORT No. 105. 

CITY IN GENERAL. 


Mayor.—Hon. Henry A. Schunk. 

Population estimated at 45,000, the 1905 State 
census showing 41,941. The city’s growth has been 
steady, due to its favorable location as a shipping 
and manufacturing center. Principal industries in¬ 
clude wood-working, railroad and machine shops, 
church supplies, clothing and brewing. The lead 
and zinc mines, formerly important, are not worked 
at present. Four railroad systems and the Missis¬ 
sippi river afford good shipping facilities. 

The major portion of the city lies on a ledge 
extending along the river, with elevations ranging 
from 18 to 76; residential sections located on the 
bluffs to the west of the city proper have elevations 
from 140 to 315. The city covers an area of about 
gy 2 square miles. No long steep grades in the high 
value districts. Grades on thoroughfares leading to 
the bluffs are from 4 to 14 per cent., but all fire 
apparatus has level or downhill runs to mercantile 
and manufacturing districts. 

Streets in the downtown districts are mainly 64 
feet wide, with a few up to 86 feet. Blocks are 
bisected by alleys 30 feet wide. Of the total of 
100.34 miles of paved streets and alleys, 82.20 miles 
of the former and 11.13 miles of the latter are 
macadamized and 6.93 miles of the former are 
brick. Paved streets are mainly in good condition 
but unimproved ones are generally in poor condi¬ 
tion. Grade railroad crossings to the east of the 


principal mercantile district sometimes delay fire 
apparatus. Overhead wires would offer serious 
obstruction to the work of the fire department in 
the mercantile sections. 

Records of the U. S. Weather Bureau station at 
Dubuque show that average wind velocities are 
moderate, varying from 5.4 to 8.6 miles per hour, 
with prevailing direction from the northwest. 
Winds of from 25 to 39 miles velocity occur about 
38 times, and of 40 miles or over about once yearly, 
some gales lasting for from 24 to 36 hours. The 
business district is sheltered from the northwest 
winds by the bluffs. Severe electrical storms are 
frequent. Some long periods of intense cold occur, 
as the maximum temperature has been below freez¬ 
ing for from 41 to 71 days per year, the lowest 
temperature recorded being minus 32 degrees with 
a period of 16 days below minus 10 degrees. Maxi¬ 
mum frost penetration about 7 feet, with an aver¬ 
age of about y/2 feet. 

The fire department loss records are incomplete, 
due to the failure of local insurance agents to co¬ 
operate, and losses were unobtainable. The aver¬ 
age number of fires per year, during the past five 
years, was 217, and was fairly constant, varying 
from 196 in 1905 to 235 in 1906. The average num¬ 
ber of fires per thousand population, based on the 
estimated average population of 42,800, was 5.1, a 
very high figure. 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. 


WATER SUPPLY. 

OWNERSHIP.— .Works owned and operated by 
the municipality supply water to the built-up por¬ 
tion of the city. The plant was started in 1870 by 
private interests, sold to the Dubuque Water Com¬ 
pany in 1898, and purchased by the city in 1900 at 
a cost of $545,000. 

ORGANIZATION.— Personnel. — Works are 
under the control of a Board of Water Works 
Trustees of three members, appointed by the Mayor, 
one each year for a three-year term. The present 
members are Messrs. Jos. P. Scanlon, President, 
Dr. James Alderson, Vice-President, and Chas. 
Sass, Secretary. B. F. Stedman is Superintendent 
and General Bookkeeper, and has charge of all 
maintenance work and extensions to the distribu¬ 
tion system. The total number of men regularly 


engaged on the clerical, operating and maintenance 
forces is twenty-two. 

Tenure of office is uncertain. The superintendent 
ind chief engineer of pumping stations are ap¬ 
pointed by the trustees; the superintendent employs 
men under him, subject to approval of the board. 

Records. —Meagre and far from up to date; 
printed reports conflict with each other and with 
verbal statements. A plan of the distribution sys¬ 
tem in the form of a wall map shows mains and 
hydrants, except those installed in the last few 
years; no gate valves are shown. There are no 
plans of supply works, nor detail records of loca¬ 
tions of mains, hydrants, valves or services. Eleva¬ 
tions generally unknown. Records of pumpage and 
fuel consumption are kept. 

Quarters. —The main office is on the first floor 
of the city hall, 13th and Iowa streets; the meter, 
repair and testing room is in the basement of the 

2 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


same building. There is a small storage yard at 
the foot of 8th street. 

Fire Service and Emergency Operations.— 

Fire alarms are not sounded in any of the quarters 
of the water department; the pumping station is 
generally notified by the telephone company, but 
there is no arrangement for this service. Tele¬ 
phones of both companies are located in the office; 
of one company at the pumping station and in the 
homes of the superintendent, street foreman and 
one laborer; there is no telephone in the home of 
the chief engineer, who lives some distance from the 
pumping station; a private line connects the Eagle 
Point and Level stations, strung on the same poles 
with high tension wires. There is no increase of 
pressure at the pumping station at time of fire, ex¬ 
cept to keep the reservoir filled. No water depart¬ 
ment employee is assigned to attend fires. The 
street repair gang can be readily summoned at any 
time, and a wagon fully equipped is kept in readi¬ 
ness within two blocks of the city hall. 

GENERAL OUTLINE OF SYSTEM.— Sup¬ 
ply is from driven wells and an underground 
stream; distributed in two services. Low service 
supplied by direct pumpage, with equalizing reser¬ 
voir, which also acts as an impounding reservoir 
for the underground stream. High service supplied 
from standpipe filled by pumpage from reservoir. 
Elevations in this report are in feet above city 
datum, which is mean low water of the Mississippi 
river and is 586.67 feet above mean gulf level. 

SUPPLY WORKS.—General.— The original 
supply was from what is known as the Level, 
being the flow from an underground stream im¬ 
pounded in a small reservoir and distributed by 
gravity to the lower parts of the city; this sup¬ 
ply was supplemented in 1888 by a pumping station 
at Eagle Point, on the bank of the Mississippi river, 
near the northern city limits, the source of supply 
being two artesian wells; an emergency connection 
to the river is also provided, and 27 shallow wells 
were driven at later dates. The High service sup¬ 
ply was originally from a deep well and pumping 
station at the foot of Eighth street; the well has 
practically failed and this plant was dismantled. 
Present supply is from a pumping station at the 
Level reservoir. 

Wells.—The system in use at the Eagle Point 
pumping station consists of 2 deep and 27 shallow 
wells; the deep wells, driven to a depth of 1,300 
feet, into the Potsdam sandstone, are 12 inches in 
diameter and cased to a depth of 300 feet; these 
wells are stated to have a combined natural flow 
of about 100,000 gallons per day, and when operated 
under an air lift have furnished 2,500,000 gallons; 
they are about 150 feet apart and have separate 
lines discharging into the reservoir at the pumping 
station. The shallow wells are 6 inches in diameter 
and driven about 92 feet below low water in the 
Mississippi river into a water bearing strata of 


coarse gravel, above which is a layer of hard clay. 
All are connected in one system, and so arranged 
that they can be cut out separately for cleaning; 
their capacity is unknown. It is doubtful if they 
could be depended on to furnish more than 1,500,- 
000 gallons per 24 hours. In November, 1907, with 
an average daily consumption of 2,465,000 gallons, 
recourse had to be made to the river, as the level 
had fallen in the shallow wells so that the pumps 
could not get sufficient supply even with the use of 
the vacuum pumps; the air lift was operated on the 
deep wells daily. There has been a noticeable 
decrease during the past eight years in the yield 
from the deep wells, and most wells of this class in 
this locality have failed. 

River Connections. —At the Eagle Point station 
provision is made for taking supply from the river 
through two lines discharging into a screen well by 
siphon action, the siphon being primed from the 
pump suction; these lines extend to below the low 
water level of the river, are protected by loose rock 
breakwater but without protection to their outer 
ends; one is 16-inch pipe for its full length, the 
other is 16-inch reduced to 8-inch and branching 
into two 6-inch lines. From the screen well a 16- 
inch suction line leads to the pumps. There are 
also two 6-inch suction lines from the river channel 
direct to the well system collector; they are exposed 
and unprotected, one of them being broken off close 
to shore. 

Level. —The water for this supply is obtained 
from old mine workings through a covered conduit 
and tunnel driven to intersect this underground 
stream. The water is collected in a reservoir from 
which it either flows by gravity to the Low service 
or is pumped to the High service. It is estimated 
that 250,000 gallons per day are available from this 
source. 

PUMPING STATIONS.—General.— There are 
two pumping stations, the Eagle Point supplying 
the Low service, and the Level supplying the High; 
the latter is electrically operated by power generated 
at the former. Coal used is Illinois bituminous pur¬ 
chased under contract without bond provision; de¬ 
livered direct by rail; usually about 200 tons are on 
hand. The chief engineer at the Eagle Point station 
has been employed there for 16 years and in charge 
for 3 years. 

Eagle Point Pumping Station. — General .—Built 
in 1888 and enlarged in 1899; located in the north¬ 
eastern part of the city, on the bank of the Missis¬ 
sippi river. 

Supply from deep wells flows directly to a collect¬ 
ing reservoir and may be increased by means of an 
air lift; from the shallow wells the supply is usually 
pumped to the reservoir by a centrifugal pump 
located in a pit, at elevation of 3 feet above low 
water; maximum head pumped against, 19 feet. 
The station is above high water and no trouble has 
been experienced from floods. 

Equipment .—See Table No. I. In a pit in the 


3 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


older part of the pumping station are two 2,500,000- 
gallon units, so connected as to pump either from 
the wells to the collecting reservoir or from the 
river, wells or reservoir directly into the distribu¬ 
tion system. In the new part of the station is the 
unit ordinarily used, a 5,000,000-gallon ■ pump so 
connected as to take suction from the reservoir or 
river and pump direct to the distribution system; 
it was stated that suction could not be maintained 
from the river, the suction piping being long and 
the lift high. Maximum pumping capacity sup¬ 
plying collecting reservoir is 6,500,000 gallons, in¬ 
cluding the centrifugal pump and :air lift from deep 
wells; available for supplying distribution system, 
10,000,000 gallons per day. Under ordinary con¬ 
ditions, the deep wells furnish their natural flow, the 
centrifugal pump lifts the supply from the shallow 
wells to the reservoir, and the 5,000,000-gallon unit 
pumps directly to the distribution system with the 
Level reservoir as an equalizer; pumps are run con¬ 
tinuously at speed sufficient to keep both reservoirs 
filled. The suctions of the centrifugal and 2,500,- 
ooo-gallon units are augmented by means' of a 
vacuum pump. The 2,500,000-gallon units are not 
kept warm, nor operated at regular intervals. A 
compressor furnishes air for operating the air lift 
on the deep wells, there is an engine and belt driven 
dynamo to generate power to operate the plant at 
the Level, and a small engine and belt driven 
dynamo for station lighting. Plant is run con¬ 
densing. 

Four boilers, aggregating 450 horse power, sup¬ 
ply steam for plant; two of these are ordinarily 
used, being ample with light firing, the other two 
being held in reserve. Steam piping flanged and 
covered, but not in duplicate, leads being taken from 
main header to all parts of plant requiring steam. 

Construction .—The station is a high i-story, mod¬ 
erate area, brick building, divided into four sections 
by brick walls with unprotected openings; base¬ 
ments under two sections. Slate and gravel roofs 
on wooden supports, mainly on steel trusses ; wooden 
lantern skylight on boiler room and thick glass sky¬ 
light on dynamo room. Wooden wainscoting and 
furred walls in part. Wooden floors in first of 
pump and dynamo rooms; dirt or cement floors 
elsewhere. Wooden ceilings, forming large blind 
attics, in two sections; plastered ceiling in dynamo 
room and open in boiler room. Wooden lockers and 
some wooden partitions about plant; also, two small 
frame additions and wooden cover to adjacent res¬ 
ervoir. 

Hazards .—Exposed by lumber yard northeast 
and southeast, 100 to 200 feet distant. Hazards of 
boilers well guarded. High tension electric current 
generated in plant for operating; the Level pump¬ 
ing station; wiring and switchboard poorly arranged 
and no protection from lightning. Steam heat. In¬ 
candescent lighting from private dynamo; wiring 
and switchboard non-standard and hazardous. Oils 
inside in metal tanks, fairly well cared for; oily 
waste immediately burned under boilers. No ma¬ 
chine shop or other hazards. 


Protection. —No private protection except short 
hose for cleaning purposes. City fire house Y\ miles 
distant; hydrant in yard and one in street 150 feet 
distant. 

Level Pumping Station.— General. —Built in 
1899. Located in northwestern part of the city; 
supply from old mine workings, through covered 
conduit and tunnel and impounded in reservoir. 
Supplies the High service. Pumps belt-driven from 
motor. 

Equipment. —See Table No. 1. Maximum pump¬ 
ing capacity 1,080,000 gallons per 24 hours. 
Pumps take suction from reservoir or Level 
and pump to standpipe, but cannot be run 
in combination, as the same motor is used 
for driving each. Pumps are not operated 
continuously, # the period of operation being gov¬ 
erned by height of water in standpipe as shown by 
pressure gage at station; when the height falls 15 
to 20 feet the pumps are started. Power for opera¬ 
ting motors is received over power line from Eagle 
Point station, with provision for use of city circuit 
over the same line in emergency. There is a 60- 
horse power gas engine which could be used to drive 
the triplex pump, but it cannot be considered as an 
emergency unit, owing to the insufficient supply of 
gas available. 

Construction. —Plant is a small, i-story and base¬ 
ment, slate-roofed, brick building with a small, 
hollow-finished, shingle-roofed, frame addition. 
Wooden floor first and plastered ceiling. 

Hazards. —Unexposed. High tension electric 
current used for power. Wiring not standard but 
fairly well arranged, except for lack of lightning 
arresters. Gas engine used for emergency power; 
equipment safely arranged. Coal stove heat; safe. 
Gas, bracket glass lamp and lantern lighting. Oils 
inside in metal tanks and oily waste poorly cared 
for. 

Protection. —None. 

RESERVOIRS. —The Eagle Point collecting 
reservoir, built in 1899, was intended for a clear 
water basin, but filters have never been installed; 
supplied from low lift pumps; it adjoins the station 
on the southeast, is part in excavation, with masonry 
walls backed with embankment; 13 feet deep, net 
capacity 650,000 gallons; elevation of flow line 22; 
condition good; covered with wooden peaked roof 
in bad condition but soon to be repaired. 

Level reservoir serves as an equalizer on the Low 
service and impounds the flow of the Level; built 
in 1870, in excavation and embankment. Masonry 
lined, depth 14 feet, capacity x,000,000 gallons, ele¬ 
vation of flow line 136; condition good. 

STANDPIPE.—Built in 1889. Used in connec¬ 
tion with High service system; located in western 
part of city; of riveted steel construction, 30 feet 
in diameter and 75 feet high, on substantial masonry 
spread foundation resting on earth; capacity 440,- 
000 gallons. Flow line elevation, 397. 


4 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


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TABLE No. i.—PUMPING STATIONS.—EQUIPMENT. 
Pumps. 












































































FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


CONSUMPTION.— Maximum.— Records are 
in such shape as to be entirely unreliable; pumpage 
figures are based upon plunger displacement, with 
approximate allowance for slip; only one unit is 
fitted with counter, so the approximation of pump- 
age by other units is based on time operated. Con¬ 
sumption is computed from pumpage plus an as¬ 
sumed fixed quantity supplied by the Level; some 
of the supply is repumped but this amount under 
present methods is indeterminate. The maximum 
consumption possibly occurred in 1906; the average 
daily for the Low service in January of that year 
was about 3,600,000 gallons ; for High service, in 
September, about 700,000 gallons. There is an 
approximate average daily consumption of 650,000 
gallons for street sprinkling, sewer flushing, pub¬ 
lic buildings, watering troughs, etc. The daily con¬ 
sumption for the present year was a maximum for 
the Low service in January and for the High serv¬ 
ice in August, being 2,500,000 and 520,000 gallons, 
respectively. The average per capita consumption 
appears to be about 35 gallons daily. 

Meters and Services.—Of the 3,034 services in 
use September 1, 1909, 2,701 were metered; 55 per 
cent, of the meters have been installed in the last 
8 months, and all services from which revenue is 
derived are to be metered. There were in use Sep¬ 
tember 1, the following services 2 inches and larger 
in diameter: Forty-four 2-inch, three 23/2-inch, one 
3-inch, one 4-inch, and two 6-inch; also thirteen 6- 
inch sprinkler connections. 

PRESSURES.—No recording gage is main¬ 
tained on any part of the system, but there are 
ordinary gages at both stations. 

In September, 1909, pressure readings were taken 
by engineers of the National Board between the 
hours of 9 a. M. and 5 p. M., at 70 hydrants dis¬ 
tributed throughout the city, with results as shown 
in Table No. 2. 

TABLE No. 2. —Pressures at Hydrants. 


District. 


Pressure, Pounds per Square 
Inch, With Hydrant Out¬ 
lets Closed. 



Average. 

Maximum. 

Minimum. 

Entire City. 

53 

146 

23 

High Service. 

67 

146 

27 

Low Service. 

4 i 

51 

23 

Principal Mercantile . 

4 i 

49 

33 


DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM.— General.— In 

two services, the Low, supplied by direct pumpage 
with reservoir at elevation 136 as equalizer, the 
High, by direct pumpage with standpipe at eleva¬ 
tion 397 as equalizer, or by gravity from the stand¬ 
pipe when pumps are not running. Only one con¬ 
nection between services, a 6-inch in the extreme 
eastern part of the city. 


Low Service.— General . —Supplies the eastern 
portion of the city, principally between the bluff and 
river, including the principal mercantile, minor mer¬ 
cantile and manufacturing districts. Elevations 
range from 18 to 88 and in the principal mercantile 
districts from 20 to 54. 

Main Arteries .—At the Eagle Point station the 
pump discharges are connected to two 16-inch mains 
extending to the northern limits of the distribution 
system, there connecting and continuing as a 20- 
inch main to and through the lower end of the prin¬ 
cipal mercantile district, acting as the main feed to 
the major portion of the Low service through which 
it passes. Connecting with this main and serving 
as a secondary feeder to a part of the Low service 
is a long line of 12-inch, which ordinarily furnishes 
part of the supply to the Level reservoir, but under 
conditions of extreme draught would deliver a small 
supply from the Level into the Low service. There 
are several 10- and 12-inch mains, usually poorly 
supported, but many sections, particularly in the 
northern and southern parts of the service, receive 
supply only through long lines of 6-inch. 

Minor Distributers . —Principally 6-inch, with 
some 4- and 8-inch. Gridironing extremely poor in 
all parts owing to the presence of excessive unsup¬ 
ported lengths of 6-inch mains as integral parts of 
system. Many hydrants are supplied with 4-inch 
dead ends from mains in alleys to hydrants on 
parallel streets. The lengths and sizes of mains in 
the principal mercantile district are given in Table 
No. 3. 

TABLE No. 3.— Mains in Principal Mercantile 
District. 


Diameter, Inches. 

Length in Feet. 

Per Cent, of Whole. 

4 

4-275 

29 

6 

6,670 

46 

8 

300 

2 

12 

800 

5 

20 

2,580 

18 

Total. 

14,625 

100 


High Service.—Supplies the higher or western 
portion of the city, located mainly on the bluff and 
generally residential. Elevations range from 56 to 
316. 

Mains .—The supply to this service is furnished 
by a 12-inch main from the Level pumping station 
to the standpipe. Distributing mains are 6- and 
8-inch, and, as shown on the accompanying plan, 
practically none are so supported as to be of much 
more than nominal value for fire protection. 

A long 6-inch line extends from this service 
across the principal mercantile and manufacturing 
districts, being used only for hydrant and sprinkler 
system supply. Its small size and long distance 


6 




























FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


from the standpipe makes it of but little value for 
the purpose intended; a test showed that it could 
deliver only about 400 gallons per minute at ef¬ 
fective pressure. 

PIPES.—Length and Age. —Table No. 4 shows 
the length of various sizes of mains in service in 
the distribution system September 1, 1909, as scaled 
from map. All pipe is tar coated cast iron. The 
oldest mains were laid in 1870, the 20-inch and one 
of the 16-inch lines about 1900. Six-inch is the 
minimum size now laid, except where used exclu¬ 
sively for domestic supply. About 19 per cent, 
of the total mileage has been laid in the last 10 
years. 


TABLE No. 4.— Pipes in Service in the Distribu¬ 
tion System. 


Diameter, 

Inches. 

Length i 

Low Service. 

n Miles. 

High Service. 

Total. 

Per Cent, 
of Total. 

4 

4.12 

.64 

4.76 

9.4 

6 

16.20 

1 5 • 55 

31-75 

63.0 

8 

1 73 

i -75 

348 

7 0 

10 

1.42 


1.42 

2.8 

12 

2 . 85 

i -55 

4.40 

8.8 

16 

2.48 


2.48 

4.0 

20 

2.04 


2.04 

4.1 

T otal... 

30 84 

19.49 

50-33 

100.0 


Condition and Cover. —There is no pitting, but 
a slight scale, and considerable sediment in some of 
the mains, due to use of river water at times. Dead 
ends flushed occasionally. Pieces cut from mains in 
making connections show conditions to be generally 
good. No trouble from frozen mains; maximum 
frost penetration 7 feet, average about 3E2 feet; 
mains are laid with minimum cover of 6 feet. 

Specifications. —None. Standard 200-pound pipe 
is used, without test. Pipe generally laid by con¬ 
tract. 

Electrolysis. —No trouble from electrolytic ac¬ 
tion in any part'of the system ; no surveys have been 
made to determine if such action is taking place. 

GATE VALVES.—Number and Make.—No 

records of number or locations of valves are on 
file, not even approximate locations being shown on 
map of distribution system. Most open to the right 
but some to the left, and two sizes of nuts are in 
use; valves are set in cast iron boxes with cast iron 
covers. 

The absence of sufficient valves on the two 16- 
inch mains from the pumping station would, in the 
event of a break on the easterly main, necessitate 
shutting down the 5,000,000-gallon unit, while a 
break on the west line would prevent the use of 
the two 2,500,000-gallon units. 


Spacing. —Owing to the absence of records of 
the number or location of gate valves, it is impos¬ 
sible to determine if they are properly spaced, but 
from a survey made of the principal mercantile 
district and of a representative residential district, 
the spacing appears to be extremely poor, in most 
cases necessitating the shutting off of long lines 
in case of repairs. In the principal mercantile dis¬ 
trict, the average length of main cut out in case of 
a break is 1,020 feet, with three lengths ex¬ 
ceeding 2,000 feet, one of which is 5,920 feet in 
length; in a representative residential district, the 
average length is 1,450 feet with three lengths ex¬ 
ceeding 1,800 feet, one of which is 4,770 feet. 

Inspections —No regular inspection of gate 
valves is made; they are only operated as occasion 
demands. An inspection of 46 valves, varying in 
size from 4- to 20-inch, distributed throughout the 
city, was made by an engineer of the National 
Board in September, 1909; only a few were found 
in condition to be readily operated; many boxes 
were found entirely covered and in some cases 
could not be located at all; most boxes contained 
dirt and rocks, and some were completely filled with 
rubbish. Several valves could not be operated at 
all, some were extremely stiff, a few leaked badly 
and water was found standing in some boxes. 

Closing of Valves.—All valves are normally 
open, except the one 6-inch between the High and 
Low services; after the hydrant tests, one valve 
was found closed on one of the main feeders to a 
group tested, with a consequent material decrease 
in quantity obtained, as was shown by the second 
test made of the group two days later. The fire 
department is notified by telephone of the closing 
of valves, and again when the work is completed. 
No records are kept of the operation of or repairs 
to valves. 

Valves on Private Lines. —Private fire service 
and sprinkler connections are stated to be equipped 
with gates close to the street mains, but no records 
of the locations of these gates are on file. 

HYDRANTS.— Number and Type. — There 

were in service September I, 1909, 381 hydrants, 
of various makes, most of them Hollys; about 50 
per cent, have 4-inch barrels. All are of the post 
type, mostly with one 2V2 -inch and one 4-inch out¬ 
let ; a few have two 2V2 -inch and one 4-inch outlet, 
while others have two 2^4-inch outlets only; most 
open to the right, with several left-hand. The Holly 
hydrants are frost jacketed... .All .hydrants are 
equipped with gate on the branch; a large percen¬ 
tage have 4-inch connections and many are on dead 
ends. All being installed at present are of the Holly 
make, with 6-inch barrel and connection, one 2^2- 
and one 4-inch outlet. 

How Located. —Hydrants are generally located 
at the corners of streets or alleys; many of those 
on the street corners are fed by 4-inch dead ends 
from the mains in the alleys. 

Drainage. —Hydrants are set on a base stone, 
resting upon a plank-covered pocket of broken 


7 




















FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


stone; all have automatic drip and drainage was 
found to be generally good. Some trouble has been 
experienced from frozen hydrants, due to the use 
by unauthorized parties, but not at time of fire in 
recent years. 

Inspections.—Hydrants are not inspected regu¬ 
larly; any reported as needing attention are imme¬ 
diately looked after and repairs found necessary are 
made at once; no record is made of inspections or 
repairs. Of the 117 hydrants operated by the engi¬ 
neers of the National Board, some were found to 
work extremely hard and others to be in need of 
various repairs; two were found inoperative. 

Distribution.—The average linear spacing of 
hydrants in the principal mercantile district is 360 
feet and the area served by each hydrant 116,000 
square feet. In a representative residential dis¬ 
trict, the average spacing is 500 feet and the area 
served by each hydrant 152,000 square feet. 

Use by Street Department and Others. —Des¬ 
ignated hydrants and 7 cranes are assigned for the 
use of street sprinklers, bu^.hydrants are used indis¬ 
criminately. Hydrants are used as desired for 
sewer flushing and other city uses. Contractors and 
other private parties are granted permits for their 
use and there is some unauthorized use of them. 

HYDRANT TESTS. —Tests of 62 hydrants in 
17 well distributed groups were made by engineers 
of the National Board in September, 1909, to de¬ 
termine the probable engine supply available for 
fire protection purposes. In the selection of the 
groups, the probable carrying capacity of the mains, 
the strong and weak points of the distribution sys¬ 
tem and the value of the buildings in the district 
were considered. Results of the tests are classified 
in Table No. 5 and the location of the groups are 
shown on the accompanying plan by corresponding 
numbers. 

The hydrants in a group were opened simulta¬ 
neously and the discharges measured by means of 
Pitot tubes; the number of hydrants in a group was 
regulated by the probable carrying capacity of the 
mains and varied from 1 to 6. In some cases hy¬ 
drants were included to show that while others were 
discharging, they would have little or no water. 
The quantities obtained from the tests are the free 
flow from the hydrants and give the probable 
amount of water available for engine supply. In 
most cases available steamer outlets were not 
opened, owing to the evident inability of the system 
to properly supply them with water. 

Only the 5,000,000-gallon pump was in operation 
and, during the tests giving the greatest flows, press¬ 
ure was not well maintained at the pumping station, 
dropping as much as 10 pounds in some instances. 
In these cases, the small flows obtained are not 
chargeable altogether to weaknesses of the distri¬ 
bution system; with pressure maintained as usual 
at the pumping station, sufficient quantities would 
be available in the districts near the main feeder, in 
the northern part of the city, as indicated by the 
results of Tests Nos. 3, 9 and 10. However, not 


more than 4,000 gallons would be obtained in the 
strongest part of the principal mercantile district, 
and supply to most of the individual hydrants in 
this district is very inferior. 

The remaining groups were deficient either 
through the failure of individual hydrants or the 
absence of large arterial feeders with proper cross 
connections. The Level reservoir, owing to the long 
length of small pipe connecting it with the main 
feeder of the distribution system, is of little value 
as an equalizer, as was shown by the drop in pres¬ 
sure during the tests. Group 4 was selected on ac¬ 
count of its location on the High service main sup¬ 
plying about 70 per cent, of the sprinkler systems 
in use, and its proximity to the only connection be¬ 
tween the High and Low services; the results from 
the test show that with the quantity obtained and the 
pressure remaining in the mains this line cannot 
supply much more than one good fire stream and 
is of value as sprinkler protection only for incip¬ 
ient fires; it would be of little use in emergency by 
opening the connection to the Low service. 

In general, the quantities obtained from the tests 
were unsatisfactory. The deficiency of flow was 
due to the lack of secondary feeders, to long lines 
of small mains not properly reinforced, and to 
numerous dead ends. The practice of laying mains 
in alleys with a dead-end connection to street corner 
for hydrant supply is to be particularly condemned. 

RECENT IMPROVEMENTS.— The only im¬ 
provements of the past few years have been the driv¬ 
ing of a few additional shallow wells and the in¬ 
stallation of the centrifugal pump at the Eagle Point 
plant and the centrifugal pump at the Level. Most 
of the work done has consisted of making needed 
repairs to the works. 

IMPROVEMENTS CONTEMPLATED.— 

No improvements are being made at present, nor 
are any contemplated for the near future. 

CONCLUSIGNS.—Organization. —The works 
are at present managed from the standpoint of 
revenue production; there is no properly qualified 
official in charge of the engineering details of the 
system. 

Records. —Practically no records were available 
when the works were purchased, and the present 
operation is dependent largely upon the personal 
knowledge of a, few employees. There are no de¬ 
tail records of the system in use, nor is any effort 
being made to prepare them. 

Fire Service and Emergency Operations. —The 
unreliable method of receiving alarms at the pump¬ 
ing station is unsatisfactory. 

Supply Works. —With the system operated as at 
present, as a direct pumpage plant, practically all 
parts of the supply works are of inadequate ca¬ 
pacity. An elevated distributing reservoir of suf¬ 
ficient capacity, for which there are several avail¬ 
able sites on the bluff, adjacent to the important 
parts of the city, will obviate the necessity of many 


8 


* Location of groups shown on accompanying plan by corresponding numbers. 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


!rl o 
m * 


II II 


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9. 5’ 


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cr 


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crq 


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p p 
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\J ONCn L P W H O VO 00 vj ONcn 4 -U) to h 


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mg- c/3 g, q.^ S. d. a. 


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■* o o 


a-2.3 
3 c 
o' m & 
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— i 5 c, 

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3. ^ 3 5?. rrs « d> 


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2 mg 2f 

Q,rt 3 i 
in 32 

LTcrq 


c 

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w a. 

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►1 CD 
§ LG 

a- “*■ 


00 CO HjJNO to 

CT‘S‘g' 3 '-CL 

p p § p p 

3 3 3 3 - 

c^g' — S- 
3&*5 £g 

3 : l> 5 - 3 - 

(l (l < 

mmj££ 

3 
CP 


- in 


Z 

3 

3 

cr 

o 

oS 

2 3 
§ CL 
? r 

v O 

* r> 
P 

o’ 




i _p 4 ^ Oj ^ P P P to Co P P ^ P On On 


Hydrants in 
Group. 


H-c .p OJ Lo -P HH p to HH tO CO U> P — U> ON ON 


~ >-< • to • 


p 

ON 


00 


-P 

On p "* ■* 4 ^. p 

ON* 00 O'*O'a\ONi 3 'o\ONON’-' 0 No" * 
00 On ■ W - ON On 


00 


(0 


to 


to 


o 

eg. 

3' ?' g 

00. w 


00 


z 

c 

£ 

a 

w 

X 

o 


Diameter of Mains, 
Inches. 


\jr\ tOP h w PPP DPP ON On to GO 
o OOtO H-vi CO 4- NO I0U1VO Co 4^ P Go — 

00000000000000000 


to to CO to 

M SI 1-t Ln 

OOOO 


-P 4^ -P tO 
On NO cn On 
OOOO 


Ln 00 

*'■0 Or 

o o 


i-h On-P -P W Oj ui 
On *—< Go to O M to 
OOOOOOO 


to NO On 

O ONV_n 

OOO 


tO O P 
Cn O P 
OOO 


P ^ NJ 

P O GO 

OOO 


VJ 

Cn GO 

o o 


On to GO 

CO COGO 

OOO 


ooco u> 

ON h p 

OOO 


GO CO GO 
COGO CO 
OOO 


Go p 
ON CO 

o o 


CO ON 
CO o 

o o 


3 

CP 


CP 

c 

5- 

X 

^< 
CP 


cn CO 00 O O GO On NO CO^ NO M P OnP CO Go 
O to GO ^4 00 OOGn ONP NG^N «p ON NO NO 
OOOOOOOOO OOP OOOOO 


Total of Group. 


Gn GO P GO tO GO M\t\4Gopp O' ON OOGO P 
O GO On no 00 OnP ~NO *-■ P OP On to O 
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO 


Average per 
Hydrant. 


P ON Go NO tONOPPPPPPP OnP Go P 

GO -^4 NO ^ NO O P ^ On CO OOP —> OO'Gt GO 

Hydrants 

Closed. 

. to* to* • toto* to to to • tototo 


X 

• • CO • O' • Ui O ■ OO'-J • 



WtO w tOWtOHHHNNHtOtOtOtOtO 

N: 

Sg 

Cn tO 00 tO ON ►*< O NO NO tO ON^J cn O P 



O 

w 

n 

X 

> 

71 

o 

M 

o 

> 

f 

r 

o 

X 

cn 

Nfl 

M 

73 


2^13 

~ O pi 

wx “ 

O w 
“ w 


9 


TABLE No. 5.— HYDRANT TESTS. 

























































































FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Water Supply.) 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


of the additions to the supply works and force 
mains, otherwise necessary. Without such a reser¬ 
voir to draw upon during extreme drafts, the well 
supply is inadequate (although there are proper pro¬ 
visions for drawing emergency supply from the 
Mississippi river) ; there is insufficient pumping 
capacity supplying the collecting reservoir at Eagle 
Point, and no reserve; the total pumping capacity 
provided for supplying the distribution system is 
inadequate for furnishing the combined quantities 
required for domestic and fire service, and pumps 
are in doubtful condition. 

There is insufficient storage capacity at the Level, 
and the pumping capacity supplying the High serv¬ 
ice is sufficient only for maximum domestic con¬ 
sumption. 

The construction of both stations and the exposure 
to one, with the slight protection against fire, present 
most hazardous conditions, which, in lieu of the 
complete fireproofing of station buildings, are best 
met by the installation of automatic sprinkler sys¬ 
tems and of standard hose houses fully equipped 
with hose and nozzles attached to hydrants. The 
wiring and switchboards at the Eagle Point station 
also form a serious hazard. 

Consumption. —Accurate records are lacking; 
the estimated consumption gives a low per capita 
rate, due to the large percentage of metered serv¬ 
ices and the use by large manufacturers of private 
well supplies, although they have connections to the 
city mains. The increased use of meters has pro¬ 
duced a noticeable decrease in the per capita con¬ 
sumption. 

Pressures. —Fair in the Low service, but in¬ 
sufficient for automatic sprinkler operation and 
poorly maintained under fire draft; even the vary¬ 
ing domestic consumption produces considerable 
fluctuation in pressure in some sections. The op¬ 
portunity for increasing pressures, in connection 
with the proposed distributing reservoir, should 
not be lost sight of. Fairly good in the High serv¬ 
ice and adequate in some sections for direct hy¬ 
drant streams, but very poorly maintained, owing 
to defects in the distribution system. 

Protection for High Value Districts. —Reason¬ 
able protection for these important districts requires 
a fire flow in excess of domestic consumption of 
4,000 to 6,000 gallons per minute, with a distribu¬ 
tion system capable of delivering this amount about 
any block, and hydrants so located as to deliver 
two-thirds the quantity upon any large fire through 
hose lines, none exceeding 600 feet in length. The 
total quantity includes an allowance for loss from 
broken services, elevator and sprinkler connections, 
incidental to a large fire. Hydrant tests showed 
that these amounts are available in very few dis¬ 
tricts, due mainly to serious defects of the distribu¬ 
tion system. 

Main Arteries. —The main feeders to the Low 
service are too small, and secondary feeders are 
lacking; cross connections are infrequent. If a 
distributing reservoir is provided, there should be 
a large main leading from it to a connection with 


the 20-inch main artery, at a point in or near the 
principal mercantile district. The High service is 
without feeders of sufficient carrying capacity. 

Minor Distributers. —Nearly three-fourths of all 
mains are 6 inches or less in diameter ; system poorly 
gridironed and numerous dead ends, mainly 4-inch, 
supply hydrants in important districts. To properly 
supply hydrants the 4-inch mains are of practically 
no value; even 6-inch mains, unless cross-connected 
at frequent intervals with larger secondary feeders 
and with dead ends eliminated wherever possible, 
cannot be considered satisfactory. 

Condition of Mains. —The internal condition of 
mains is good; a small amount of sediment was 
observed during hydrant tests. No indications of 
electrolytic action. 

Gate Valves. —The system is poorly supplied 
with gate valves, poorly distributed ; in nearly all 
parts of the system a single break would necessitate 
the closing of several valves, cutting out long lines 
of mains supplying many hydrants anjd large areas. 
Long lines of important mains are without gates. 
The condition of some of the gates is such that 
much time would be lost in attempting to operate 
them and the impossibility of doing so would neces¬ 
sitate the use of others with a consequent cutting 
out of additional long lines of mains. That valves 
are not regularly inspected is evident from their 
condition. 

Hydrants. —The hydrant spacing is wide and 
many have too small interior waterway and con¬ 
nections to mains. The poor gridironing of the 
system makes all hydrants except the few directly 
connected to the main feeders of little value for 
fire engine supply. Hydrants should be regularly 
inspected, as many were found to be in need of 
various repairs. 

Improvements. —The city has so far outgrown 
its water works that immediate improvements are 
necessary to provide for a supply adequate for 
emergency requirements, either by increased pump¬ 
ing equipment or by providing storage at sufficient 
elevation, with extensive changes in almost all parts 
of the distribution system. The present works are 
the outcome of successive additions to an inferior 
system without regard for the future. Definite 
plans should be prepared so that all new work may 
be incorporated in the ultimate design of a satis¬ 
factory system. 

The method adopted for meeting existing and fu¬ 
ture needs will determine the design of the distri¬ 
bution system; it is beyond the scope of this report 
to make specific recommendations for its improve¬ 
ments, but if the requirements hereinafter given, 
relating to available quantities for fire protection, 
size and arrangement of mains, hydrants, etc., are 
met, a satisfactory system should result. 

The distributing reservoir mentioned under Sup¬ 
ply Works should be of at least 4,000,000 gallons 
capacity, in order to supply the maximum fire draft 
for a period of ten hours; such a reservoir, properly 
connected to the present main feeder and with the 
distribution system properly reinforced, would fur- 


10 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Department.) 


nish the desired fire protection in the least expensive 
and most effective way, and would provide for 
economies in the ordinary operation of the plant; 
without it, it will be necessary to install pumping 
machinery of capacity sufficient to maintain the 
maximum fire draft in addition to the maximum 
domestic consumption, with reserve equal to the 
largest unit, and to lay large mains of ample car¬ 
rying capacity to deliver this amount of water at 
points as required. 

The rearrangement and improvement of the sys¬ 
tem is of such magnitude and importance as to re¬ 
quire the services of an experienced consulting engi¬ 
neer, and his employment at an early date is urged. 

FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

ORGANIZATION.—Basis. —Full paid since 

1883. 

Supervision. —Under the control of a board of 
three police -and fire commissioners, serving with¬ 
out pay. They are appointed by the mayor, with 
the consent of the city council, one every two years 
for 6-year terms. The present members are 
Messrs. Matthew Stafford, chairman; John Trex- 
ler, and Geo. Ragatz; Mr. John A. Cunningham, 
secretary. Finances are under control of the fire 
committee of the city council, Alderman E. E. 
Frith, chairman. 

Officers. —Chief Joseph R. Reinfried is the ex¬ 
ecutive head of the department. He has occupied 
his present position since 1884, except for a short 
interval, and appears to be fairly capable and pro¬ 
gressive. Assistant Chief D. Ahearn was ap¬ 
pointed to his present position in 1907, having been 
a member of the paid department since 1890, and 
appears to be a competent officer. Fie acts as cap¬ 
tain of the ladder company. 

Membership. —Total force, 46; fire force, 45. 

Expenses. —The appropriation for the mainten¬ 
ance of the fire department and fire alarm system 
for the current fiscal year amounts to $49,000, or 
about $1.09 per capita, based on an estimated popu¬ 
lation of 45,000. Excluding permanent improve¬ 
ments to real estate, the expenses have averaged 
$1.03 per capita during the past five years. 

Appointments. —Appointments and promotions 
are made by the chief from eligible lists furnished 
by the board after non-competitive physical and 
mental examinations. For appointment, age limits 
are 21 and 40 years; minimum height limit, 5 feet 
6 inches; minimum weight limit, 135 pounds. Ap¬ 
pointments are probationary for three months. The 
chief is appointed by the board for an indefinite 
term and is subject to removal for cause. En¬ 
gineers and stokers are promoted from the ranks; 
the present engine crews have had long experience. 

Retirement.—No age limit has been set for re¬ 
tirement. About six members are over 55 years of 
age. A pension fund has been established under 
which members may be retired for disability after 
twenty-two years service if 55 years of age, or at 


any time for disability incurred in line of duty. 
The fund is supported by a tax levy, 1 per cent, 
of salaries, and by gifts. Provision is also made 
for the widows and minor children of members. 

A benevolent association, comprising about two- 
thirds of the force, provides sick and death bene¬ 
fits. Men receive full pay if injured in the dis¬ 
charge of duty. 

Companies. — Organisation . —One ladder, one 
chemical, two engine and three hose companies are 
in service, at six houses. See Table No. 6. Each 
engine company has 8 members, each hose and the 
chemical company 4 and the ladder company 9. A 
captain and a lieutenant are assigned to each com¬ 
pany, the assistant chief acting as captain of 
the ladder company, and an engineer and stoker 
to each engine company. A third engineer is a 
member of the ladder company. 

Maintenance .—Members are allowed 10 days’ 
annual vacation, 1 day off in 8, and 3 hours daily 
for meals, in two shifts. Permanent substitutes 
are employed to fill vacancies caused by vacations 
and continued sickness. The reserve engineer re¬ 
lieves the regular engineers for days off and meal 
hours. 

The minimum number of men in quarters in the 
ladder company is 4 ; in engine companies, 3; in 
chemical and hose companies, 2. Night watch is 
maintained at the two engine houses and at the 
central station. 

Distribution .—Within and adjoining the principal 
mercantile districts are the ladder, chemical and 
one of the engine companies; the other engine com¬ 
pany is in a minor mercantile district about a half 
mile away, and the hose companies are in residen¬ 
tial districts from 1 to 2 miles from the mercantile 
center. 

The ladder company has runs of up to 2 y 2 miles 
in residential districts, but the outlying companies 
carry short ladders. The chemical engine covers 
the mercantile district and the outlying companies 
have combination wagons. The two engines in 
service are well located.to protect the more valu¬ 
able districts, but engines have long up-hill runs 
to fires on the bluffs. The following localities are 
at considerable distances from fire protection of 
some kind: 




OlSTAN r F ROM 


Locality. 

Engine. 

Hose 

Wagon. 

Ladder 

J ruck. 

Chemical 

A pparatus 

Lagle Point (Residential and 
Lumber). 

10,500 

O 

O 

rf 

15,500 

4,50° 

Dubuque Malting Co. (Brew¬ 
ery) . 

6,500 

6,500 

9,500 

9,000 

St. Ambrose Ave. (Residen¬ 
tial and School). 

9,50° 

5,100 

10 , 2 C 0 

5,100 

Fremont and Cascade Sts 
(Residential and School).. 

9,500 

5,700 

I 2,000 

5,700 

So. Dodge and Rush Sts. 
(Residential and School).. 

6,400 

600 

8,500 

600 


Dbrary -- 
UNIVER SI TV OF ILLINOIS 



















FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Department.) 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


EQUIPMENT.—Summary of Apparatus.— 

In Service. In Reserve. 


Engines, capacity: . 

“ 9°° gallons. i o 

“ 600 to 700 gallons. 1 2 

Total steam fire engines . 2 2 

Hose wagons, combination type. 3 o 

“ “ plain. 1 o 

“ reels. 1 1 

Total hose wagons and reels. 5 1 

Ladder trucks, plain aerial. 1 o 

“ “ ordinary. 1 o 

Total ladder trucks. 2 o 

Chemical engines. 1 o 

Wagons, Chief’s. 1 o 

“ fuel. o 1 

“ supply and telegraph . 4 o 

“ exercise. 9 o 

Horses. 22 2 

Hose, 2j-inch.7,150' 2,600' 

“ § and i-inch for chemicals. 800' o 

Ladders, total length. 618' 73' 

“ short ladders on hose wagons, 

etc. 7 o 

Portable extinguishers. 9 o 

Deluge sets. o o 

Siamese connections. 1 o 

Y “ 3 o 

Turret nozzles. o o 

Ladder pipes.•. o o 

Cellar pipes. 3 o 

Fire Engines.—See Tables Nos. 6 and 7. The 
Metropolitan was built in 1906 and the Ahrens re¬ 


built in 1904; the others have their original boilers, 
14 and 30 years old, respectively. The Amoskeag 
was overhauled and fitted with new valves and 
valve springs in 1908. All the engines have hand 
and automatic relief valves; the Metropolitan has 
a suction gage. Each carries one or two large suc¬ 
tions with reducers and the Ahrens has also a small 
suction; the two in service carry play pipes with 
several %-inch to i^-inch ring tips. In all but 
the Silsby, steam is maintained in boilers by heaters. 

Engine Tests. —The engines were tested by 
National Board engineers in September, 1909, to 
determine their condition and the ability of the 
crews handling them. See Table No. 7. The ca¬ 
pacity of the Ahrens was considerably reduced by 
uneven feeding of boiler. The Metropolitan was 
in excellent condition, but its discharge was re¬ 
duced by the limited amount of water available at 
the hydrant and on account of the evident lack of 
practice of the engineer in handling engines of this 
type when running at full capacity. The Amos¬ 
keag steamed very poorly, which reduced its capac¬ 
ity to less than that of a modern fourth-sized engine, 
or not enough for two efficient fire streams. The 
Silsby was well handled, but was not urged to its 
capacity on account of the doubtful condition of 
the boiler, which showed considerable leakage. The 
boilers of the Metropolitan and Amoskeag also 
leaked, around the fire doors. Three of the water 
and steam gages were out of adjustment. 


Ladder Trucks. —See Table No. 6. The aerial 
truck is in fair condition. It carries a 65-foot aerial 
ladder with a io-foot extension and a 45-foot ex¬ 
tension and 9 shorter ladders, including 3 pompiers. 
Equipment also includes a hose jacket, hose roller, 
flat-tipped cellar pipe, door opener and wire cut¬ 
ters, but no deluge sets, gas keys, ladder pipes, life 
nets, marine torches and salvage appliances are 
carried. 

The city truck is of the old lever-tiller type, 
built about 1873, and is in poor condition. It car¬ 
ries a 34-foot straight and 8 shorter ladders; also 
a portable extinguisher, hose jacket, door opener 
and a few small tools. 

Chemical Engine. —See Table No. 6. This is 
of the two-horse Babcock type, built in 1891, 
and is in good condition. It carries axe, rope, two 
plaster hooks and extra chemical charges. 

Hose Wagons. —See Table No. 6. These are 
all of the two-horse type; the three with hose com¬ 
panies have 50-gallon chemical tanks; Wagon No. 2 
is a plain wagon, and Nos. 1 and 3 are reels. There 
is also an old hand reel stationed in a lumber yard. 
Two of the combination wagons have 2^2-inch hose 
connections. The wagons appear in fair to good 
condition; the reels are old and heavy and carry 
only a small equipment of tools. 

Chief’s and Other Wagons. —The chief has a 
buggy at headquarters. A one-horse repair wagon 
is provided for fire alarm work. There are 9 ex¬ 
ercise carts; a two-horse coal wagon is stationed 
at House No. 2. 

Engine Fuel. —About 34 ton of Pittsburg gas 
coal is kept at Houses 1 and 3, and about 1,800 
pounds at No. 2, loaded in bulk on the coal wagon. 
This appeared at the tests to be of good quality. 
At large fires, after the fuel on the coal wagon is 
consumed, wagons are sent to any convenient coal 
yard. 

Hose. —All 234-inch hose is double-jacketed, cot¬ 
ton, rubber-lined, purchased under 4-year, 400- 
pound guarantees. Random lengths are tested to 
400 pounds at delivery and hose over 5 years old is 
tested annually to about 160 pounds. The older 
hose is stationed with the hose companies. The 
amount on hand allows about 2,100 feet per com¬ 
pany. Hose towers are provided at 4 of the houses ; 
the other companies send hose to headquarters for 
drying and have no extra hose in quarters. All 
hose is dried thoroughly after use; that on wagons 
is shifted weekly. 

Minor Equipment. —Hose wagons carry two 
long play pipes with from to 134-inch nozzles, 
generally with ring tips; one nozzle on each wagon 
is generally a shut-off. One carries a third pipe 
and most of them have extra tips. Other equip¬ 
ment varies; a few wagons have burst hose jackets, 
crowbars, pipe jacks and “Y” connections; all carry 
axes. One carries two flat-tipped cellar pipes and. a 
Siamese connection. Buckets, door openers, deluge 
sets, modern pipe holders and ropes are lacking. 


12 





























FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Department.) 

TABLE No. 6.—FIRE COMPANIES—LOCATION AND EQUIPMENT. 
Engine Companies. 


Company. 

Location. 

Members. 

Engine. 

Wagon. 

Hose Carried, 

Feet. 

2J" Reserve 

Hose, Feet. 

Ladders 

Carried. 

Chemical 

Extinguishers. 

Size. 

Horses. 

Type. 

Horses. 


18th and Clay Sts. 

8 

Second.... 

3 

Reel. 

2 

1,000-2 

1,000 

None 

1-2 fral. 


T oriist and 4th Sts . . . 

8 

First. 

3 

Plain. 

2 

1,000-2'^ " 

None 



Res. (No. 3)_ 

At Headquarters. 

a 

Second.... 

(2) 

Reel. 

2 

850-2^" 

2,600 

« 

None 

Res 

At Engine 2. 


Second... 

( 3 ) 

















a. Engineer with Ladder i. This engine is on heater; boiler hot. The cart attends some outlying stations; drawn by chemical team and manned by 

chemical company. 


Hose Companies. 





Wagon. 

Hose 

Carried, 

Feet. 

2 F 


(/) 

i- . 

<U C/I 

n 3 jz, 

Com¬ 

pany. 

Location. 

Members. 

Type. 

Horses. 

Put in 
Service. 

Reserve 

Hose, 

Feet. 

Ladders 

Carried. 

’£ ’3 
£ 

.S-a 

W * 

A . 

Delhi and Julien Ave. 

4 

Combination. 

2 

1892 


1,000-22" 1 

None. 

j 10' R. 

1 3 gal. 

c. 

Grand View and Bradley 
Aves . 



1 

2co- r ( 
1, 000- 2 1 

| 24' Ext. 

1-50 gal. 


4 

Combination. 

2 

1903 


950 

i 14' R- 

2- 3 gal. 

6 . 

Rhomberg Ave. and Reed 
St. 



1 

200- r i 
900-2 r ( 

( 24' Ext. 

j 14' R- 

1-50 gal. 


4 

Combination. 

2 

1905 

< 

3°o 

2- 3 gal. 





200- 1" ( 

l 24' Ext. 

1-50 gal. 


Ladder Companies. 


Location. 

Members. 

Ladder Truck. 

Ladders 

Carried. 

Chemical 

Extinguishers 

and Tanks. 

Type. 

Horses. 

Put in 
Service. 

Number. 

Total 

Length, 

Feet. 

Headquarters, Iowa and 

S 8t 

Babcock, manual raised 65' aerial. 

3 

1894 

11 

276 

None. 

Ninth Sts. 

1 

34' City Service. *. 

(3) 

1873 

Q 

208 

1-3 gal. 







* Used to answer alarms on bluff, with horses from aerial truck. t Also the assistant chief. 


Chemical Company. 


Company. 

Location. 

Members. 

Type. 

Horses. 

Put in Service. 

Chemical Tanks 
and 

Extinguishers. 

1" Hose 
Carried, Feet. 

Ladders 

Carried. 

1. 

Headquarters. 

4 

Babcock. 

2 

1891 

2-50 gal. 

1- 3 gal. 

200 

24' ext. 


13 
































































































FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Department.) Dubuque, Iowa. 


TABLE No. 7.—STEAM FIRE ENGINES. 


Engine 

No. 


1 . 

2 . 

Res. 3... 

Res. 

“ Peter 
Olinger ” 


Make. 


Ahrens. 

Metropolitan. 

P" 


Silsby. 


Size. 


Second. 
First... 
Second. 

Second. 


c n 
c 


1891 

1906 

1879 

1895 


Renewals. 


Rebuilt 1904; Fox boiler. 


Diam., 

Inches. 


>> 

u 


6f 

9 

7 t 

R 


c. 

E 

9 

Cl, 


4 § 

5 h 
4 f 

otar 


m p 

S..S 

uf 


X 

rt in 
c c 
o o 

in 3 


600 

900 

650 

700 


Results of Engine Tests. 


Si c/) 


545 

703 

43 i 

475 


•o -d 

aj C 

ps'« 

_Q 

°o 
c & 

^ rt 
i—. Cl, 

<d a 
CL (J 


91 

78 

66 

68 


Steam Pressure, 

Pounds. 

Net Water Pressure, 

Pounds. 

Speed, Revolutions 

per Minute. 

102 

103 

288 

11 5 

93 

221 

70 

98 

200 

99 

124 

526 


E 2 

9 c 

'o L. 
u 

co 

* 


* Reasonable slip ol pumps in good condition, less than 7 per cent. 


Couplings. —Couplings of this and neighboring 
cities are of the usual screw type. 

East Dubuque and Rockford couplings will fit 
Dubuque hydrants; no adapter couplings have been 
provided for the other cities. 

Dimensions of Couplings. 


Connections. 

Nominal 

Size, 

Inches. 

Outside 
Diameter 
Male Thread, 
Inches. 

Threads 
per Inch. 

Dubuque Hydrants. 

1 ? 

3 iV 

5 

8 

4 

Dubuque Hose ....,. 

A 

3 tb 

8 

East Dubuque Hose. 

2 h 

3 to 

8 

Galena Hose. 

2 h 

3 t 6 

7 

Freeport Hose. 

A 

3 -rir 

7 

Rockford Hose. 

A 

3 re 

8 

Cedar Rapids Hose. 

A 

3/2- 

6 

Davenport Hose. 

A 

3t~6 

7 

Rock Island Hose. 

A 

3 tit 

7 

Moline Hose. 

A 

3tw 

7 

National Standard. 

oi 

3 rir 

7 i 

. 

4i 

51 

4 


Repairs.— The small repairs and overhauling of 
houses and apparatus usually performed by depart¬ 
ment members in other cities are here neglected or 
turned over to local firms. Spare wheels and hitches 
are on hand for some of the apparatus. 

Houses, Horses and Harness.— Stations are 2- 
to 3-story brick buildings, generally well arranged. 
Minor repairs are needed at a few houses. At head¬ 
quarters is ample room to place the reserve engine 
and hose wagon in regular service and at Houses 
4 and 5 there is extra land for engine or small 
truck houses. Horses are of very good stock. Har¬ 
ness is of modern swinging type. 

OPERATION. — Discipline. — Excellent rules 
and regulations are printed in manual form and dis¬ 
tributed to members. The board has delegated 
ample authority for the enforcement of discipline 


to the chief, who generally punishes by reprimand, 
suspension without pay or dismissal. Men have 
right of appeal to the board, whose decision is final, 
but no appeals have been taken to the present board. 
The few recent discharges appear to have been for 
good cause. Discipline and personnel appear fair. 

Drills and Training.— Captains instruct new men 
in their duties and in the use of tools. The ladder 
company drills monthly in good weather, going to 
some high building and raising and climbing lad¬ 
ders. There is no drill in handling of hose, use of 
pompier ladders or in life saving. Horses are 
hitched twice daily and at all alarms and are exer¬ 
cised daily. The engines are taken out about every 
6 weeks, if not used, and run with the churn open 
for about hour. Engineers train their stokers, 
and generally a third member of the company, in 
firing and handling the engine. 

Response to Alarms. —The usual response to 
first alarms is as follows: 

Response to First Alarms. 


District. 

Engines. 

Hose 

Wagons. 

Ladder 

Truck. 

Chemical 

Appa¬ 

ratus. 

Principal Mercantile and 
Lumber. 

2 

2 

I 

1 



Manufacturing and Minor 
Mercantile. 

1 or 2 

2 nr 'i 

l 

1 or 2 




Built-up Residential. 

1 or 2 

1 to 3 

1 

1 or 2 

Outlying. 

0 or 1 

2 or 3 

0 or 1 

1 or 2 



A second alarm calls all the department except a 
combination hose company, which comes in to one 


U 














































































FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Department.) 


of the central houses. The ladder company attends 
all first alarms except to a few points in residential 
districts; the light truck is used for alarms in out¬ 
lying sections. The chemical company takes Hose 
No. 3 to several outlying stations. A reserve en¬ 
gine, drawn by a hose team, is sent to several points 
on the bluff. The response to telephone alarms is 
the same as to box alarms unless a small fire is re¬ 
ported, when only one or two companies are sent. 
For verbal alarms, the company notified attends 
without notifying headquarters, unless a large fire 
is reported. Outlying companies move in at first 
alarms in the central districts. The chief attends 
all first alarms and the assistant chief all alarms to 
which the ladder company responds. The city elec¬ 
trician usually responds with the ladder company. 
For engine fuel, a hose team is sent back for the 
coal wagon ; when this supply is exhaused coal is 
secured at the nearest yard. Companies have nearly 
level runs to all points in the mercantile and manu¬ 
facturing districts. The engines and ladder truck 
must climb steep grades to all points on the bluffs. 
Paved streets are in generally good condition, but 
heavy going is found on dirt roads after rain. Rail¬ 
road grade crossings sometimes cause delays, 
especially in the lumber and factory districts. 
Snow causes little delay and the trolley tracks are 
quickly cleared, forming convenient paths for appa¬ 
ratus. 

Fire Methods.—From the fire department rec¬ 
ords it was determined that, in 1908, about 29 per 
cent, of fires was extinguished by chemicals, 4 per 
cent, by hydrant streams, 29 per cent, by engine 
streams, and 38 per cent, by pails of water, etc., 
or by citizens. Chimney fires are usually extin¬ 
guished by salt or portable extinguishers. The first 
company arriving lays hose, but uses chemicals if 
possible. Two of the chemical tanks have 2j4-inch 
connections, but these are seldom used, nor is small 
hose and nozzle provided to attach to end of large 
hose. Shut-off nozzles with from %- to ij/^-inch 
tips are used on 2j^-inch lines for inside work. 
Three companies have “Y” connections, which are 
often used on long lines to obtain two small streams. 
Only one Siamese is provided, and there are no 
deluge sets, turret pipes, or ladder pipes. Sprinkler 
and standpipe connections have never been used. 
Drivers assist as needed. Bystanders are hired 
at large fires to fill out the .reserve engine crews. 
Three of the engines stand with hot water in 
boilers and fires are lighted on leaving quarters. 
Engines are connected to hydrant upon arrival, if 
fire is apparent, and are generally used if fire can¬ 
not be controlled by chemicals. Direct hose lines 
are used where pressures are sufficient. At a 
few points in the lumber districts engines may 
draft from the river or from sloughs. The 
ladder company clears buildings .of water, after fires 
are out, but no other salvage work is attempted. 
Hose is usually carried up stairs or ladders; one 
hose roller is provided on the aerial truck. On ac¬ 
count of the poor hydrant distribution, very long 


hose lines are often needed. Wet hose is usually 
folded back in wagons before returning. Wagons 
report out while shifting wet hose and their terri¬ 
tory is covered by others. At large fires, the chem¬ 
ical company usually returns to quarters to protect 
the central district. 

Inspections.—The chief, with the captains of 
each district, inspects factories, large stores and 
schools yearly, and theaters monthly, noting haz¬ 
ards and protection; they also inspect new buildings. 
Where unsatisfactory conditions are found he orders 
their removal. A fireman is detailed to perform¬ 
ances at the two principal theaters. 

Firemen are detailed to inspect and oil hydrants 
each fall and to shovel snow away from them after 
storms. 

Reports and Records.—Company journals are 
kept and captains make daily reports to the depart¬ 
ment secretary on suitable forms, showing all opera¬ 
tions, details and leaves of absence. The chief 
makes rounds of fire houses at least weekly, and 
makes yearly reports to the city council. The secre¬ 
tary collects data of fires, which is kept in suitable 
form; no detailed or complete loss record is kept 
The chief’s annual reports have not been printed 
for the last two years. They give no details of 
losses or of methods used in extinguishing fires. 

Recent recommendations include: More hydrants 
on the High service in lumber and manufacturing 
districts; more hydrants in outlying districts; an en¬ 
gine company at Iowa and Ninth streets; a new 
service truck; a small engine for the hill section, 
and 2,000 feet of 2^2-inch hose. 

RECENT IMPROVEMENTS. — These in¬ 
clude: The purchase of an old second size engine, 
in reserve at headquarters; 1,500 feet of hose and 3 
horses. A 3-inch pipe line has been laid on Park 
Hill avenue from Couler avenue to Muscatine street, 
about 1,000 feet, so that an engine may be connected 
at the lower end and pump up to a section difficult 
of access to heavy apparatus.- 

CONCLUSIONS.—The fire department is too 
small and only fairly efficient; it is under divided 
supervision, the financial support is low and the 
chief has not been successful in securing improve¬ 
ments. Appointments and promotions are under 
control of the chief under civil service rules, but 
age, height and weight limits are not sufficiently re¬ 
strictive. Companies are undermanned, and the 
arrangement of two meal shifts seriously reduces 
the strength at meal hours. The department is seri¬ 
ously handicapped in fighting large fires, making it 
necessary to hire bystanders to assist. 

Companies are well located for the protection of 
the principal mercantile and manufacturing sections, 
but several residential districts are at considerable 
distances from engine and ladder houses, especially 
on the bluffs, where long up-hill runs are necessary. 

Except the light ladder truck, which is worn out, 
the apparatus is in fair to good condition, but the 


15 


FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Alarm System.) Dubuque, Iowa. 


reserve engines are too small for effective work at 
.the large fires where they are usually needed. The 
aerial truck is of a slow-raising type, handled with 
difficulty by the small crew. Hose is of fair quality 
and well cared for and a good supply is on hand, 
but no 3-inch hose is provided, although this is espe¬ 
cially desirable where long lines are so frequently 
used. Minor equipment is deficient and there are 
no appliances for throwing or controlling powerful 
streams. Engine fuel is of good quality, but only 
a small supply is on hand. Night watch is properly 
maintained in the central houses. 

Discipline appears fair, although lax in minor 
details. Drills are irregular and of little value; 
regular drills for all members are especially desira¬ 
ble to increase the efficiency of the limited force. 
Response to alarms is good for the available appara¬ 
tus, and provision is made for covering districts for 
a possible second fire. Methods of handling ordi¬ 
nary fires appear to be good except that little salvage 
work is performed, but the department has few ap¬ 
pliances and men for controlling spreading fires. 
The building inspections are valuable chiefly in ac¬ 
quainting the force with details of buildings. Rec¬ 
ords are well kept, except loss details, which are 
lacking. The chief has repeatedly made valuable 
recommendations in his annual reports, but most of 
them have been disregarded. Additional men, 2 
more engine companies, new ladder trucks, ap¬ 
pliances for handling large streams and much minor 
equipment are needed. 

FIRE ALARM SYSTEM. 

ORGANIZATION. —The system is a part of 
the fire department, under the supervision of the 
chief, and is maintained by the city electrician, Mr. 
Wm. P. Hipman. A fireman is detailed to assist as 
needed. Mr. Hipman was appointed in 1892, pre¬ 
vious to which time he had several years’ experience 
as a lineman. 

HEADQUARTERS. —On the second floor of 
fire headquarters, a 3-story, joisted brick building, 
erected in 1892; the third floor is occupied as an 
armory and the building contains hazards common 
to a fire station; exposures moderate. A ladder 
company, a chemical company, a reserve engine and 
a hose wagon are stationed in the building; internal 
protection consists of a standpipe with small hose 
and nozzle attached on second and third floors. 
Poor electric light wiring on third floor. Hay room 
adjoins fire alarm room, with studded, iron-sheathed 
partition between; hay room not cut-off from com¬ 
mon hallway. Signal wires enter overhead to rear 
of disused terminal board, thence under joisted floor 
to battery board. 

EQUIPMENT.—Apparatus at Headquarters. 

—Of Gamewell automatic type. The 5-circuit, auto¬ 
matic, non-interfering repeater was installed in 1892 
and the batteries and the 6-circuit, slate charging 


board in 1904. The repeater has contacts for 2 
alarm circuits. Wires are carried bunched to ap¬ 
paratus, using No. 14 copper wire with rubber and 
single-braided insulation under floor and at batteries. 
There is much woodwork in and around the fire 
alarm room, and in an adjoining closet is stored a 
quantity of combustible material. The 500-volt 
charging circuit enters improperly installed, through 
a window casing, with porcelain-base, 10-ampere 
fuses and no switch at entrance. Box circuits are 
protected by j^-ampere fuses and air-gap arresters 
and charging circuit by 6-ampere fuses, on the 
charging board. 

Apparatus at Fire Stations.—At each station is 
a large gong and stall trip magnet connected on 
some box circuit, and a telephone from each public 
exchange. Three of the large gongs have indicators 
combined with them. Push buttons are provided 
for striking the gongs. At four of the houses are 
bells connected to private alarm systems. There 
are also gongs at the chief’s residence and the watch- 
service office and a tower bell striker at city hall. 

Boxes.— Description .—Total number, 59. All of 
non-interfering, detached key type. 


Public boxes. 56 

Private boxes, inaccessible to public. 3 

Gamewell, sector pull, weight-actuated, brush breaks.. 56 

Gamewell, trigger pull, spring-actuated, succession with 

platinum or silver contact breaks. 2 

Star, trigger pull, spring actuated, succession, with silver 
breaks. 1 


Eleven of the weight-actuated boxes have abso¬ 
lute cut-out switches, the others have inferior shunts. 
Boxes were painted red in the spring of 1909, but 
the supporting poles are not marked. Several are 
inconspicuously mounted on large poles or at some 
distance from the street corner; three are on build¬ 
ings and about 10 are on poles carrying electric 
light or power wires. Three or four keys are usual¬ 
ly distributed at boxes; policemen and firemen and 
many citizens carry keys. Only a few key signs are 
provided. Outer box cases are generally grounded 
but ground wires have been disconnected from light¬ 
ning arresters. 

As there were no records of construction or con¬ 
dition of boxes a large proportion were inspected 
by a National Board engineer. Inner boxes were 
generally very dusty and in a few cases contacts and 
internal mechanism were tarnished; two inner glass 
covers were missing and two broken; in two boxes 
the non-interference coils had recently burned out 
and were removed; in several, the mechanism was 
gummed with dirty oil; in one box, the weight stuck 
when pulled for a test; in one case the key sign was 
on a pole 70 feet from the box; several boxes were 
at a distance from the corner although a corner 
pole was available. 

Lead wires on box poles are generally double 
braided No. 10 or 12 copper, carried open to within 
a few feet of the box, either spread away from the 
pole or fastened to short knobs; many of them are 


1G 






FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Alarm System.) 


slack, with ragged insulation, and are liable to short 
circuit or cross with other wires; in a few cases 
bare wire was noted; in some instances the lead 
wires were in contact; at one box a twisted pair 
wire was used, supported by screw-eyes; on four 
installations there were no caps on the riser pipe 
above the box. Boxes run slowly, mostly at from 
1.9 to 2.2 seconds per stroke. 

Distribution .—A box is within 600 feet of every 
building in the principal mercantile district. In the 
manufacturing and minor mercantile districts the 
following points were noted over 600 feet from the 


nearest box: 

Distance to 

Locations. Nearest Box. 

Clay and 15th St. 650 feet. 

Washington and 18th Sts.... 750 feet. 

Clay and 10th Sts. 800 feet. 

Sycamore and 16th Sts. 1,300 feet. 


Elsewhere, many sections are poorly protected 
and 38 locations were noted where the nearest box 
was from 850 to 2,000 feet distant. Several of the 
large school buildings are at long distances from the 
nearest box. 

Circuits.—There are 4 normally closed circuits to 
which 59 boxes, 8 gongs, a tower-bell striker, and a 
break-wheel transmitter are connected; the maxi¬ 
mum number on a circuit is 22 boxes and 3 gongs. 
All circuits are overhead, although ducts are avail¬ 
able in about 8 miles of telephone subway. There 
are about 32 miles of wire in the circuits, of which 
about 4 miles is No. 12 bare copper, 5 miles No. 12 
weatherproof iron and the remainder No. 10 and 12 
weatherproof copper. The circuits are mostly on 
electric light and trolley poles in the underground 
district; elsewhere they are principally on telephone 
poles, but at many points are on electric light poles; 
they are usually carried on brackets below the cross- 
arms, but on several streets they are on the same 
cross-arms with electric light and power wires. 

An inspection of a large proportion of the lines 
shows them to be in fair condition, except in the 
underground district, where much of the insulation 
is ragged or missing; in residential districts, wires 
run through trees at many points; in some instances 
they are carried on buildings. There is much cur¬ 
rent leakage, and grounds are common. 

Wiring in fire stations is poorly installed; they 
are without drip loops or plugs at entrance, and are 
tacked to woodwork inside; some bare wire and im¬ 
perfect joints were noted. 

Batteries. —Current is supplied by storage bat¬ 
teries in duplicate, installed in 1904. Each set con¬ 
sists of 72 six-ampere-hour cells, mounted on 
wooden racks without insulation. Wires are 
bunched and strapped to woodwork. Wire ends are 
bolted to cells and show much corrosion. The cells 
contain sediment, the jars show evidence of creep¬ 
ing of salts and the racks are considerably burned 
by the acid. The batteries are charged alternately 
from the 500-volt power circuit; each is capable of 
supplying current for the system for about 60 hours. 


OPERATION.—Routine and Maintenance.— 

The electrician is at headquarters when not at work 
on the lines. He attends most alarms with the lad¬ 
der company. Circuits are usually tested for 
grounds twice daily and are often inspected. Boxes 
are inspected at irregular intervals, about monthly 
and usually after severe storms, and are tested by 
bridging out and pulling. Test taps are sent out 
twice daily. Battery cells are tested weekly; rain 
water is used for refilling. No records are kept of 
tests or troubles; grounds are common, breaks and 
crosses appear to be frequent, and there have been 
numerous burn-outs at boxes, due probably to poor 
insulation and lack of proper grounds. A box map 
is provided at headquarters, but there is no map of 
circuits. 

Alarm Transmission. —Four rounds of box and 
watch service alarms are automatically transmitted 
to all fire houses, the chief’s residence, the A. D. 
T. office, and to the city hall tower bell. Special 
signals may be sent by Morse key from any box 
or from headquarters. Telephone alarms are 
handled through fire headquarters or directly to all 
companies. Alarms during the year ending Febru¬ 
ary 28, 1909, included 216 telephone, 9 box, 7 ver¬ 
bal, 1 private and 3 A. D. T.; total 236, of which 
10 were false, special calls, or for other than fire. 

RECENT IMPROVEMENTS AND 

CHANGES. —Two boxes, of improved type, have 
been installed in the past 3 years; all boxes were 
painted in 1909. New plates have been ordered for 
the batteries. When the telephone wires were 
placed underground in the business district in 
1906-7, the fire alarm wires were shifted to any 
convenient electric light or trolley pole. 

CONCLUSIONS. —The present system is prop¬ 
erly a part of the fire department and is of suitable 
type, but is poorly maintained and inadequate. 
Headquarters is in a building of ordinary construc¬ 
tion containing numerous hazards, the apparatus is 
poorly installed both in headquarters and at houses, 
and no reliable registering appliances are provided. 
There is no duplicate alarm circuit to the fire houses. 
Recently installed boxes are of satisfactory type, 
but all others are of the unreliable weight actuated, 
long-pull, brush-break type; most of them have de¬ 
fective cut-outs and many are in poor condition. 
Box distribution is good in the principal mercantile 
district, but poor in most other sections. Many 
boxes are inconspicuously located, keys are all de¬ 
tached and key signs are generally lacking or im¬ 
properly located. The net results of these defects 
has been the almost complete disuse of the fire alarm 
system, and the transmission of nearly all alarms 
by telephone, which method has caused several de¬ 
lays and misunderstandings. However, the tele¬ 
phone service is widely distributed and with some 
slight changes in methods at one of the public ex¬ 
changes will be a valuable adjunct to the fire alarm 


IT 





FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. (Fire Department Auxiliaries.) Dubuque, Iowa. 


system, but it cannot be considered a satisfactory 
substitute. 

Circuits are poorly protected, an especially seri¬ 
ous condition, as this city is subject to violent elec¬ 
trical storms. The lines are on poles with and close 
to high tension circuits at many places, or often 
pass through trees, much of the wire is bare or 
with ragged insulation and leads to boxes are im¬ 
properly installed. Circuits are frequently carried 
below all other wires and are subject to trouble 
from their breakages. Thus there is trouble from 
grounds, breaks and burn-outs, much of which 
could be obviated by placing circuits underground 
where ducts are available, by removing them from 
poles carrying high tension lines, by placing them 
on top or extension cross-arms elsewhere and by 
substituting insulated wire or cable through trees. 
Tests and inspections are made irregularly and do 
not appear to be effective; no records are kept and 
no circuit map provided. 

FIRE DEPARTMENT AUXILIARIES. 

FIRE MARSHAL. —Fire department officers 
make irregular inspections as stated on page 15. 
The secretary keeps records of fires; these do not 
include details of losses. The records show no re¬ 
cent incendiary or suspicious fires, but there were 
16 of unknown origin during the past year. 

POLICE DEPARTMENT.— Chief, James R. 
Pickley. Total active force, 40. 

Equipment. —A 2-horse patrol wagon is stationed 
at Washington and 13th streets, but does not attend 
fires. A police telephone system, consisting of 13 
telephone boxes, is maintained by the Dubuque 
Telephone Company. Patrolmen report hourly. 

Fire Service. —Box alarms are received at police 
headquarters by tower bell; for telephone alarms, 
the public exchange operator usually notifies head¬ 
quarters. Men on adjoining beats attend alarms and 
call additional help, if necessary. Fire lines are not 
stretched, and at times the crowd interferes with the 
firemen. The police guard burned premises until 
the arrival of owners and are reported vigilant in 
discovering fires. 

PUBLIC SERVICE CORPORATIONS.— 

These do not regularly receive fire alarms. The 
street railway and electric company sends men to 
fires along its lines if notified of the fire, but they 
do not report to the fire chief. The gas company 
sends men only when specially requested. If neces¬ 
sary, trolley cars are stopped; wires are usually cut 
by the city electrician. 

TELEPHONE SERVICE.— The Iowa Tele¬ 
phone Company serves about 5,000 subscribers 
through one exchange, a 2-story mill building with 
protected openings. Internal protection consists of 
sand pails and dry powder and liquid chemical ex¬ 
tinguishers. About half of the lines are under¬ 
ground and nearly all the remainder in aerial cable. 


The Dubuque Telephone Company serves about 
1,800 subscribers through one exchange, located on 
the third floor of a 3-story, joisted brick building 
of multiple occupancy, including a printing office. 
No window protection to serious exposures; cables 
open and exposed in light shaft. Internal protec¬ 
tion consists only of dry powder tubes. Lines are 
underground in the mercantile district; a small 
amount of aerial cable is used elsewhere. 

One-, two- and four-party lines are used on both 
systems, principally the first. Every fire station has 
a direct telephone from each exchange. Fire calls 
are transmitted without charge and are given right 
of way. The chief operator of the Iowa Company 
notifies all fire stations simultaneously; the chief 
operator of the Dubuque Company reports fires to 
headquarters, whence they are usually sent out 
again by telephone to the nearest companies. The 
latter method appears slow and awkward. Fire 
companies have been missent owing to operators on 
both systems misunderstanding the location of the 
fire. During 1908, 216, or about 91 per cent., of 
all alarms were received by telephone. 


CENTRAL STATION WATCH SERVICE. 

—The American District Telegraph Company fur¬ 
nishes a central station watch service to 23 sub¬ 
scribers having 26 plants equipped with 101 boxes 
on 3 McCullogh circuits, with not more than 40 
boxes on a circuit. All but 20 boxes are of ap¬ 
proved type, and these are to be replaced. Of¬ 
fice is located with the Western Union Tele¬ 
graph Company on ground floor of a 3-story 
ordinary joisted brick building, with slight ex¬ 
posures and few hazards except defective elec¬ 
tric light wiring. No internal protection. Signals 
are received on double pen registers, with an alarm 
bell on switchboard, and are transmitted over the 
fire alarm system by a Gamewell break-wheel trans¬ 
mitter. A direct telephone to fire headquarters is 
provided as a secondary means of transmission. A 
large gong is also connected by relay to the fire 
alarm circuit in the office. Lines leave office in 
taped and braided cables to overhead pole lines, 
principally on telegraph and telephone poles, but 
at several points on electric light poles. Outside 
wiring is principally No. 14 weatherproof iron; wir¬ 
ing in office is No. 14 rubber-covered copper. Re¬ 
cent installations are in conduit, and older installa¬ 
tions are open, on knobs or cleats, using No. 14 and 
16, rubber-covered, single-braided, copper. Older 
installations are being rewired as approved boxes are 
installed. 

Two men are on duty at all times. Additional 
men are available from 7 a. m. to 11 p. m. Watch¬ 
men are allowed 15 minutes grace. Complete rec¬ 
ords are kept. 

Gravity batteries supply current; the company 
is considering replacing them by storage batteries. 
Protection consists of J^-ampere cartridge fuses on 
a wooden terminal board in battery room and at 

18 


BUILDING DEPARTMENT. 


subscribers’ end. Circuits and boxes are inspected 
monthly and records kept of troubles. The Game- 
well transmitter is tested daily. 

During the past year, the fire department records 
show 3 fire alarms received from this company, of 
which 2 were false. 

PRIVATE ALARM SYSTEMS.— Three fac¬ 
tories, a department store, a hospital and two 
theatres have alarm circuits with bells in the near¬ 
est fire station. The hospital circuit is maintained 
by the city electrician and is tested daily; the other 
circuits are poorly installed; those in the theaters 
are tested before each performance. The depart¬ 
ment store and factory circuits are for sprinkler 
alarms; recently the department store circuit has 
transmitted several alarms for defective sprinklers. 

PRIVATE FIRE APPARATUS.— There are 
6 automatic sprinkler equipments in the principal 
mercantile districts and io outside. Nine establish¬ 
ments have fire pumps, 12 have yard hydrants, and 
io have large hose in yard; 49 have standpipes or 
inside hydrants, and 49 have hose inside, usually 
attached to standpipes. A few have water barrels 
and pails, chemical extinguishers, etc. The C. M. 
& St. P. R. R. shops have a drilled private brigade, 
reported to be efficient; this does not assist at fires 
outside of railroad property. A large proportion 
of the many academies, schools, halls and other 
public buildings lack private protection. 


OUTSIDE AID. —Cities from which aid could 
be summoned to Dubuque within 4 hours are: 


City. 

Distance, 

Miles. 

Hose Wagons 
In Service. 

Engines 

In Service. 

East Dubuque, Ill. 

2 

2 

O 

Galena, 111 . 

18 

3 

O 

Freeport, Ill. 

69 

3 

O 

Cedar Rapids, la. 

74 

4 

O 

Davenport, la. 

95 

7 

O 

Moline, Ill. 

96 

3 

O 

Rock Island, Ill. 

98 

3 

O 

Rockford, Ill. 

97 

6 

5 


East Dubuque has sent aid during serious fires 
in former years; this department would respond in 
about 20 minutes. 

CONCLUSIONS.—Fire Marshal. —Officers of 
the fire department perform many of the fire mar¬ 
shal’s duties. Records are incomplete. Apparently 
no recent incendiary fires. 

Police Department. —Renders little assistance 
to the fire department at fires. 

Public Service Corporations. —Do not regularly 
send men to fires or assist the fire department. 

Telephone Service. —Two companies; service 
widely distributed and used for nearly all fire 
alarms. Exchange of one company in a protected 
mill building, with suitable provision for handling 
fire alarms. Exchange of other company in an ordi¬ 
nary joisted building, with serious hazards and ex¬ 
posures; unsatisfactory provision for handling 
alarms. Several errors and delays reported from 
telephone alarms. 

Central Station Watch Service. —Of small ex¬ 
tent; office in an ordinary joisted building with 
slight exposures and hazards. Approved boxes and 
wiring being installed in subscribers’ premises; of¬ 
fice apparatus of good type, but wiring unsatisfac¬ 
tory. Tests frequent and service fairly reliable. 

Private Alarm Systems. —Four sprinkler alarm 
and three manual alarm circuits, with bells in 
nearby fire houses. Most of these are poorly in¬ 
stalled and maintained, but the manual circuits are 
regularly tested. 

Private Fire Apparatus. —Sixteen establish¬ 
ments have sprinkler systems. These and a few 
others are protected by standpipes, hose, hydrants, 
fire pumps, etc. A few have water barrels or pails 
and chemical extinguishers. Many of the denomi¬ 
national schools, etc., lack protection. One drilled 
private fire brigade, reported efficient. 

Outside Aid. —A small amount of outside ap¬ 
paratus could be obtained in from to 1 hour. 
Within three to four hours, considerable assistance 
may be expected, but no adapter couplings have 
been provided. No engines are quickly available. 


STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS AND HAZARDS. 


BUILDING DEPARTMENT. 

ORGANIZATION.—General. —By ordinance, 
the city engineer is required to examine all plans 
and specifications for building improvements and to 
issue permits, and the chief of the fire department 
to inspect all buildings in course of erection or al¬ 
teration to see that all ordinances and regulations 
in relation to fires are being complied with. 

Personnel. —Mr. Paul Ilg is city engineer and 
Mr. Jos. R. Reinfried chief of the fire department. 

Permits. —Before any building operations may 


be commenced, plans and specifications must be 
filed with the city engineer and a permit secured 
from him. It is the duty of the city engineer to 
see that a permit has been taken out for every 
building in course of erection; he is assisted in this 
work by the police department. 

Inspections. —The chief of the fire department 
inspects all new buildings, but only to become famil¬ 
iar with their arrangement and for the purpose out¬ 
lined above. Inspections by the city engineer are 
required on complaint that the exits of a building 
are insufficient, that the heating apparatus is inse- 


19 


















BUILDING DEPARTMENT. Dubuque, Iowa. 


cure or dangerous, or that a building or structure 
is unsafe or in contravention of the ordinances; but 
ordinarily, no inspections are made during course of 
erection. 

Records. —None, other than the stub-ends of the 
permit books kept by the city engineer and a short 
record of inspections by the chief of the fire depart¬ 
ment. 

BUILDING LAWS. — General. — The city 
building regulations are contained in the 1901 city 
code. They are embraced in a chapter for the pre¬ 
vention of the erection of dangerous buildings and 
walls and in a portion of the chapter governing the 
fire department, but are very limited in their scope. 
The State laws merely refer to fire escapes. Penal¬ 
ties of $5 to $100 are provided for violations. The 
principal provisions of the law and ordinances are 
as follows: 

Fireproof Construction. —No mention other than 
that power plants for factories, if not in a separate 
building, must be in a fireproof or “fireproofed” 
room. 

Frame Construction. —Within the fire limits, it 
is unlawful to erect, raise, enlarge, move from one 
location to another, or repair, if damaged from any 
cause to the extent of 50 per cent, of its value, any 
frame building, other than small sheds or stables 
not fronting on a street, without obtaining a special 
permit from the city council, which permit may be 
granted only on application signed by the owners of 
at least two-thirds of the block in which such con¬ 
struction is to take place. Lumber yards may also 
be established within the fire limits under special 
permit as above. No restrictions outside the fire 
limits. 

Thickness of Walls. —Satisfactory thickness 
specified for external walls; no ledging, staggering 
of beams or increased thickness required for party 
walls. 

Parapets. —Buildings with flat roofs to have fire 
walls, at least 8 inches thick, carried 24 inches above 
roof and covered with a fire-clay or metal coping. 

Flues, Smoke Pipes, etc. —Chimneys to have at 
least a 4-inch brick or stone wall. Smoke pipes 
passing through roofs, walls or partitions to be sur¬ 
rounded by brick or other incombustible substance 
allowing at least 3 inches separation from wood¬ 
work or other combustible material. 

Standpipes and Hose. —All business buildings 
over 50 feet high, covering an area of more than 
5,000 superficial feet, and all buildings exceeding 
60 feet in height, are required to have a 2^-inch 
or larger standpipe within or near the front wall, 
to extend above roof and be provided with steamer 
connection at street. Enough water must be kept 
between the flies of stages to flood the stage floors 
at a moment’s notice. 

Quality and Strength of Materials. —A few 

standard maximum fibre strains on timber and 
metal, and maximum permissible loads on masonry 
and soils, are specified; use of soft bricks pro¬ 


hibited in external walls and piers; otherwise, no 
mention of quality of materials. 

Fire Escapes. —All buildings three or more stories 
high, except private dwellings, must have one or 
more metallic ladders, or equally good fire escapes; 
location, number, material and construction subject 
to the orders of the chief of the fire department. 
All factory buildings more than 2 stories high are 
required to have one metallic ladder for every 25 
persons or less employed above the second story, 
or a fireproof stairway. 

Fire Limits. —These are shown on the accom¬ 
panying map. They include the principal and minor 
mercantile districts, but practically no part of the 
manufacturing districts. 

Dangerous Occupancies. —It is unlawful to ren¬ 
der lard, smoke meat, or boil oil or varnish in any 
building within 100 feet of another building, unless 
such building has a brick, stone or earth floor and 
no woodwork within 10 feet of the fire. 

Enforcement. —No attempt is made to enforce 
the structural provisions of the building regulations 
further than the examination of the plans and speci¬ 
fications by the city engineer. The chief of the fire 
department issues orders for the erection of fire 
escapes and for the correction of violations of the 
ordinances from the standpoint of fire; the fire 
escape orders are not followed up and enforced. 

LOCAL CONDITIONS.— An analysis of the 
principal mercantile district, which includes 21 
whole or parts of blocks, shows a total of 247 build¬ 
ings, exclusive of sheds or other outbuildings. Of 
these, one is of fireproof, one semi-fireproof, 3 non¬ 
standard mill, 236 joisted brick and 6 of frame con¬ 
struction. 

The fireproof is a 7-story office building of 12,000 
square feet area and the semi-fireproof is the 
3-story post-office of 8,400 square feet area. 

The mill construction consists of two 5-story 
buildings, of 7,120 and 8,475 square feet area re¬ 
spectively, and a 2-story telephone exchange of 
small area. One building has a fireproof elevator 
shaft, but otherwise, floor openings are unprotected 
in these buildings. 

Of the joisted brick construction, which covers 
89.4 per cent, of the built-up area of the district, 
thirty-three buildings, or 14 per cent, of the total 
number, are 4 or 5 stories in height; none exceeds 
5 stories. Twenty-five buildings, or about 10 per 
cent., range between 5,000 and 7,500 square feet 
in area, six between 7,500 and 10,000 square feet, 
and four exceed 10,000 square feet. The largest 
areas are 24,760 square feet, a 1- to 6-story hotel; 
16,610 square feet, a 1- to 4-story wagon works, 
5,000 square feet of which is frame construction; 
14,375 square feet, a 4-story sprinklered department 
store; and 14,240 square feet, a 1- to 4-story ware¬ 
house for steamfitters’ supplies. 

About 6.6 per cent, of the built-up area of the 
district is frame construction, consisting of small, 
mainly detached buildings or sheds and additions 


20 


EXPLOSIVES AND INFLAMMABLES. 


to brick buildings, the largest covering 5,000 square 
feet area. None of it exceeds 2 stories in height. 
In addition to the above, there are numerous 
wooden cornices and frame rear porches. There 
are also a number of shingled roofs. 

Brick walls are generally only 12 inches in thick¬ 
ness, both for independent and party walls, and 
there is no ledging. Many buildings are old, and 
numerous cracked or badly deteriorated walls were 
noted. Most party and street walls are parapeted 
but mainly so low that their value is slight. Sky¬ 
lights are quite numerous and generally of unpro¬ 
tected thin or thick glass, only a few instances of 
wired glass or wire screens being found. With the 
exception of one fireproof elevator shaft and one 
elevator well equipped with automatic traps, floor 
openings are practically unprotected, save in some 
instances by the presence of light wooden parti¬ 
tions ; seventy-five buildings in the district have ele¬ 
vators or hoists and fifteen have open light wells. 
Thirty-seven buildings have partial or complete win¬ 
dow opening protection on the exposed sides; ex¬ 
cept for two cases of wired glass in metal frames 
and a water curtain on two communicating build¬ 
ings, such protection consists of iron shutters, with 
a few instances of metal-clad shutters. The iron 
shutters are of the flat band and hollow types ; many 
are in poor condition. There are few communica¬ 
tions between buildings; several buildings have 
parapeted division walls, with unprotected open¬ 
ings, or single or double fire-door protection on 
openings. 

Fire escapes exist on only 50 per cent, of the 
buildings requiring them by law. They are of the 
ladder-and-balcony and the stairway types. Their 
general care is poor and little attempt has been made 
to enforce their installation on buildings not 
equipped. Eight buildings have inside standpipes 
and hose, three have outside standpipes at fire es¬ 
capes, and six are equipped with automatic sprin¬ 
klers. A few buildings have portable chemical ex¬ 
tinguishers or water pails, or both. 

The manufacturing plants of the city are mainly 
of joisted brick construction, although there are a 
few large, frame structures; one plant has a 5- 
story fireproof section and is erecting a second one. 
The minor mercantile districts are of intermixed 
brick and frame construction, mainly the former. 
The residential districts are largely of frame con¬ 
struction, the use of shingled roofs being universal. 

CONCLUSIONS. — The building laws are very 
limited in their scope and little control or supervi¬ 
sion is maintained over this important subject. 
There are no provisions in the laws covering or 
requiring modern types of construction; no limita¬ 
tions are placed on heights or areas; no protection 
is required on floor, window, party wall or roof 
openings; combustible roof coverings may be placed 
on buildings even within the fire limits; the pro¬ 
visions covering party walls and parapets are inade¬ 
quate ; practically no mention is made of chimney 


and fireplace construction nor of the arrangement 
of heating appliances; standpipes are required in 
buildings of specified heights and areas, but auto¬ 
matic sprinkler equipments are not mentioned, and 
the building regulations are defective on many other 
points. The fire limits are small and too much 
frame construction is permitted within them. Struc¬ 
tural conditions are mainly weak and the enforce¬ 
ment of the laws lax. 

EXPLOSIVES AND INFLAMMABLES. 

ORGANIZATION.— Supervision.— There is 
no department directly in control of the storage and 
handling of explosives and inflammables. The 
building ordinance makes it the duty of the city en¬ 
gineer, when notified that ashes or incombustible 
material are kept in an insecure manner, to order 
the removal or safeguarding of such; the chief of 
police, on direction of the mayor, is required to 
search for violations of the laws covering gun¬ 
powder, and it is the duty of the chief of the fire 
department to enforce all ordinances in relation to 
fires. 

Inspections.—Officers of the fire department 
make at least annual inspections of business and 
manufacturing buildings and order the removal of 
rubbish, etc., but pay little attention to the storage 
of explosives and inflammables, other than to note 
their presence. 

LAWS AND REGULATIONS.—General.— 

The city regulations on this subject are contained 
in the 1901 city code of ordinances, and a few State 
regulations of various dates are embodied in the 
1907 compilation of the statutes. Penalties of $5 
to $50 are provided for violations of the laws or 
ordinances. A digest of the regulations follows: 

Gunpowder.—Written permits, signed by the 
mayor and attested by the recorder, are required 
for the storage or sale of gunpowder. Quantity 
permitted to be kept within any one building within 
the city limited to 50 pounds, unless such building 
is at least 300 feet from any other building, when 
an unlimited amount may be stored. Not to be 
handled by artificial light unless in sealed packages. 

Dynamite and Other High Explosives.—Not 

mentioned. 

Blasting.—Special permission from the city coun¬ 
cil necessary for blasting operations; each permit 
subject to such restrictions and regulations as may 
be imposed by resolution. 

Fireworks.—Discharge prohibited except upon 
such days as may be specified by resolutions of the 
city council. 

Combustible Fibres.—It is unlawful to stack 
more than one ton of hay or straw within 100 feet 
of any building or to burn shavings, straw or other 
combustible materials within 20 feet of any build¬ 
ing. 

Oils.—Easily inflammable oils may not be manu¬ 
factured or refined within the fire limits and such 


21 


ELECTRICITY. 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


operations may be carried on outside the fire limits 
only on consent of the city council. The quantity 
of camphene, benzine, benzole, kerosene, naphtha or 
other easily inflammable oil, permitted to be kept in 
any one place within the fire limits, is limited to 
45 gallons of each, the excessive amount of 225 gal¬ 
lons in all being permitted; 225 gallons of kerosene 
or go gallons of the other oils may be kept if no 
other oil is handled. Consent of the city council 
necessary for the storage outside of the fire limits 
of larger quantities of such oils than specified 
above, the same to be kept in iron tanks or in brick 
or stone buildings made as nearly fireproof as pos¬ 
sible. 

By State law, all oil used for illuminating pur¬ 
poses must be tested by a State oil inspector, under 
regulations of the State board of health, and have 
a flash point of at least 105 degrees Fahrenheit, 
closed test. Gasoline receptacles of 1 quart to 6 
gallons capacity to be painted red and labeled “gas¬ 
oline,” and it is unlawful to place kerosene in such 
receptacles. A State law also prohibits the estab¬ 
lishments of any dye works or cleaning works 
in which explosive or dangerous fluids are used, 
in any building occupied in part as dwelling 
or lodging house. Another law provides for the 
examination and approval of gasoline lamps and 
lighting devices by the State board of health, but 
no penalty is provided for the use of unapproved 
devices. 

LOCAL CONDITIONS. —No explosives are 
manufactured within the city. Two 25-pound 
stocks of dynamite were found in the business dis¬ 
trict and several firms carry 25 pounds of blasting 
powder and 25 pounds or less of gunpowder. These 
are stored without restriction or regulation; one 
portable outside magazine was noted. Larger stocks 
are kept in magazines outside the city. Only small 
amounts of ammunition are carried and no stocks 
of fireworks at this season. The dangerous drugs, 
chemicals and oils, and paints and varnishes are 
carried in small amounts by drug houses under the 
usual conditions of storage. Calcium carbide in 
ioo-pound lots was found in automobile garages. 
Only small stocks of matches are handled by 
grocers. 

Supplies of gasoline are generally kept inside of 
buildings, grocers having 15 to 20 gallons in 50- 
gallon tanks or in 5-gallon cans in rear of store, and 
many 5- to io-gallon lots were noted in other occu¬ 
pancies. Automobile garages carry their supply of 
gasoline in the main building, in additions or in 
underground tanks. Kerosene is retailed by gro¬ 
cers from inside, 60- to 120-gallon tanks, in the 
usual manner. There are three wholesale oil stor¬ 
age plants, located in the southern part of the city. 
Two of these seriously expose lumber piles across 
a narrow street, and the third exposes a large frame 
shed, but the hazard of each should be local. 

Much rubbish and other combustible material 


was found in alleys, in some basements and in the 
unused upper floors of several buildings. 

CONCLUSIONS. —The inadequate laws, espe¬ 
cially those pertaining to gasoline, together with 
the lack of control, have created hazards endanger¬ 
ing many sections. The annual inspections by the 
fire department are of considerable value in secur¬ 
ing the removal of rubbish, but little attempt is 
made to control other dangerous conditions, owing 
to the lack of authority. 

ELECTRICITY. 

ORGANIZATION AND CONTROL.—Gen- 
eral.—By city ordinance, the city electrician has 
control over inside wiring that is to be concealed 
and over all outside wiring, both overhead and un¬ 
derground. He is appointed by the city council to 
hold office during its pleasure. 

Personnel. —Mr. W. P. Hipman, city electrician, 
has held the position for 17 years. 

Inspections. —No inspections are made of new 
inside equipments by the city electrician. The light¬ 
ing company makes a general inspection of an 
equipment before connecting its service, and re¬ 
quests the contractor or owner to correct any 
serious defects found; these inspections, however, 
are often made after the wiring has been concealed. 

LAWS AND REGULATIONS.— The elec¬ 
trical ordinance makes it the duty of the electrician, 
in addition to caring for the fire alarm system, to 
inspect all electric light and power wiring in build¬ 
ings before such wiring is covered, to supervise and 
control all electrical wires and cables whether the 
same are overhead or underground, and to perform 
such other duties as may be specified by the city 
council. In the fire alarm work he is under the di¬ 
rection of the chief of the fire department, but in 
his other duties he is under the control of the city 
council. The ordinance stipulates that a permit 
must be obtained before setting any poles and pro¬ 
hibits the occupation of any main street with poles 
or other supports when it is practicable to enter 
any district or supply the occupants of any one 
square by erecting such poles and supports in an 
alley. It also contains a number of specific provi¬ 
sions relative to outside wiring, and provides for 
graded fees for inspections of interior wiring when 
such inspections are made. There are no regula¬ 
tions governing interior wiring. 

An ordinance passed in November, 1903, requires 
all telephone wires within the principal and Clay 
street mercantile districts, except distributing wires, 
to be underground, but there are no provisions in 
the laws requiring light and power wires or other 
signalling wires to be underground. 

INSIDE WORK. —In September, 1909, 12 new 
and 20 old representative installations were in¬ 
spected by a National Board engineer to ascertain 


22 


CONFLAGRATION HAZARD. 


the quality of the new work being installed and the 
general condition of the old wiring. 

In the new work inspected, it was found that 
some of the equipments are practically in accord¬ 
ance with the National Electrical Code, but that 
in others the workmanship was poor and in need 
of proper supervision. While approved material 
is generally being installed, this is not always the 
case. Through the efforts of the lighting company, 
an improved arrangement of wiring is being secured 
at the service entrance. 

In the old work inspected, a total of 244 defects 
were noted, an average of 12.2 per equipment, in¬ 
dicating the exigency of a systematic inspec¬ 
tion of all old work. The following defects were 
frequently found: Wires improperly arranged at 
service entrance and no service switch; porcelain- 
base link-fuse cut-outs, often with covers missing; 
wires not properly bushed through walls, floors, 
etc.; wires poorly supported, subject to mechanical 
injury, or in contact with woodwork, each other or 
other conducting bodies; misuse of flexible cord, or 
old-code cord; rheostats improperly mounted; no 
sub-bases at snap switches; and unapproved ma¬ 
terial. Some wooden cleats and other material used 
only in the early days of electrical lighting were 
noted. No series arc light circuits enter buildings. 

OUTSIDE WORK. —There is no systematic 
inspection of outside work, the supervision main¬ 
tained by the city electrician being slight. Tele¬ 
phone wires are underground in the business district 
and in some additional territory, and, in accordance 
with the ordinance, the main streets are practically 
free from overhead wires. However, obstructions 
from this source occur on the cross streets and in the 
alleys, the conditions in the alley between Main 
and Iowa streets being particularly serious. 

Light and power wires are triple-braided weather¬ 
proof, in fair to good condition, on poles usually 
100 feet apart. Transformers are generally on 
poles; one building in the principal mercantile dis¬ 
trict and two in other localities have transformers 
in basements and two manufacturing plants have de¬ 
tached transformer houses. Some secondaries of 
transformers are grounded. All light and power 
circuits are protected by lightning arresters at the 
power station, and usually at the end of the line 
and at random along the line. Low tension or 
signalling systems are protected, by fuses or light¬ 
ning arresters, or both, at the central office, at the 
junction of overhead and underground work, and, 
in case of one telephone company, at the subscriber’s 
end. 

The Union Electric Company furnishes commer¬ 
cial power and light, and also operates the street 
railway system. Current generated at its power 
station is 3-phase, 2,300-volt A. C. This is dis¬ 
tributed single phase for lighting, with 108-volt and 
108-216-volt secondaries, and 3-phase for power 
with 220- or 440-volt secondaries. There is also 
a 500-volt D. C. commercial power circuit supplied 


from a rotary converter and independent of the 
600-volt D. C. grounded street railway circuit, 
which is similarly supplied. Series-arc light circuits 
are approximately 4,000 volts A. C., two of which 
are connected in series at the station. 

The following companies maintain low tension or 
signalling systems: the Iowa Telephone Company, 
Dubuque Telephone Company, Western Union 
Telegraph Company, North American and Postal 
Telegraph Company, American District Telegraph 
Company and the municipal fire alarm system. 

ELECTROLYSIS. —No surveys have been 
conducted to determine whether or not electrolytic 
action is taking place. The water department re¬ 
ports practically no trouble on its svstem. The 
telephone companies have had some trouble on their 
underground cables, but this has been eliminated 
by bonding to the rails or return'feeder. The street 
railway system is well bonded with compression 
bonds; three important points of the system are 
connected by return feeder with the power house 
and the system is said to be tested twice yearly for 
defective bonding as a matter of efficiency in opera¬ 
tion. 

CONCLUSIONS. —The ordinance governing 
electrical wiring gives the city electrician control 
over only such interior wiring as is to be concealed, 
no penalties are provided for failure to notify him 
of such work, no rules are specified for interior 
work, and the ordinance is otherwise defective. Ex¬ 
cept for the limited supervision maintained by 
the lighting company, new inside wiring is being 
installed entirely in accordance with the ideas of 
the contractor. Much of the old inside wiring is in 
a hazardous condition and should be thoroughly 
overhauled. The north and south streets of the 
business district are free from overhead wires, but 
obstructions from this source are serious in the 
alleys and on some cross streets. The reported 
trouble from electrolysis is slight; the bonding of 
the street railway system apparently receives close 
attention. 

CONFLAGRATION HAZARD. 

PRINCIPAL MERCANTILE DISTRICT.— 

Limits.—Commencing at Jones and S. Main; S. 
Main, First, alley between Main and Locust, Sec¬ 
ond, Locust, Tenth, alley between Locust and 
Main, Eleventh, alley between Main and Iowa, 
Ninth, Iowa, First, alley between Iowa and S. Main, 
and Jones. 

General.—The district involves 16 full and five 
half blocks and is 11 blocks long by 2 wide. It 
lies in the eastern part of the city, somewhat south 
of the central part, and extends along a slightly 
rising second river terrace with a bluff, about 100 
to 175 feet high, paralleling it about ij4 blocks 
west. Main street is the principal street and is 
essentially of a retail mercantile character; along 


23 


CONFLAGRATION HAZARD. 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


Locust street are several large manufacturing plants 
with a scattering of dwellings and vacant areas, 
while along Iowa street are warehouses and whole¬ 
sale mercantiles. Many upper floors along Main 
street are occupied as offices or dwellings or are 
vacant. Adjoining the district on the east and south 
is a mixed minor mercantile and manufacturing 
district, with considerable lumber scattered through, 
especially east between the railroads and the river; 
elsewhere, the exposures are minor mercantile and 
residential sections. The prevailing direction of 
high winds ranges from southwest to northwest; 
the district is materially shielded from these by the 
high bluff just to the west. 

Potential Hazard. —As given under Local Con¬ 
ditions of the Building Department report, page 20, 
the individual buildings of the district are weak in 
fire-resistive features, there are numerous frame 
additions or appendages to buildings; and there 
are a number of large areas, tending to make a high 
potential hazard. To offset this, however, the dis¬ 
trict is long and narrow and as numerous buildings 
have blank, although light, side walls extending 
from street to alley, it would be difficult for a fire 
to spread the length of the district. 

The streets of the district are 64 feet in width, 
except that First and Second streets are 75 and 86 
feet respectively. The blocks are of moderate size, 
being 256 by 256 feet, except for a long block at 
the south end, and each is bisected by a 30-ioot alley 
extending north and south. About 24 per cent, of 
the total block area of the district, including alleys, 
is vacant. The north and south streets are prac¬ 
tically free from overhead wires but obstructions 
from such occur in alleys, and on the cross streets. 
There are no fire breaks; the value of the sprinkler 
equipments as local barriers is small, owing to de¬ 
ficiencies of the water supply. 

Probability Hazard. —The presence of many 
moderate to excessive areas, a number of 4- and 5- 
story buildings of ordinary construction, the preva¬ 
lence of unprotected floor openings, an inadequate 
fire department, and a poor water supply and fire 
alarm system, make the chances of bad individual 
and small group fires occurring large. The fire de¬ 
partment, however, has a good opportunity to pre¬ 
vent such fires from spreading materially, as the 
district is narrow, with mainly blank party walls ex¬ 
tending full height from street to alley crosswise of 
the district, in a number of instances exposed open¬ 
ings are protected, although the value of such protec¬ 
tion is decreasing owing to lack of care, and the rear 
accessibility of buildings is exceptionally good ex¬ 
cept for overhead wire obstructions. The locations 
at which the most serious hazards exist are as fol¬ 
lows : 

Block bounded by Main, Third, Iowa and Second 
(Sanborn, page 58, block 6). Extending across 
the south end of this block is a joisted brick hotel 
covering 24,760 square feet and mainly 4 and 5 
stories high. The fire department could not suc¬ 
cessfully cope with a fire gaining control here, but 


the danger of its spreading to any but the imme¬ 
diately surrounding buildings is moderate. 

Block bounded by Main, Third, Locust and Sec¬ 
ond (Sanborn, page 57, block 9). At the north¬ 
west corner is a 3- and 4-story joisted brick wagon 
and carriage works having a large i-story frame 
addition, with unprotected intercommunications and 
forming an aggregate area of 16,610 square feet. 
Across the alley east is a 4-story joisted brick 
building of 7,120 square feet area occupied as of¬ 
fice, showroom and warehouse for the wagon 
works. The window openings facing each other 
across the alley and above the first floor are pro¬ 
tected by good iron shutters, but otherwise such 
protection is lacking and the plant is not sprinklered. 
A fire gaining headway in either building could 
spread rapidly. One at the northwest corner could 
easily involve the buildings to the east, and there 
are unprotected angle exposures between the build¬ 
ings in the north part of the east half of block, so 
that the major portion of the block is subject to 
one fire. 

Block bounded by Main, Ninth, Iowa and Eighth 
(Sanborn, page 44, block 3). At the southwest 
corner are two 3- and 4-story, joisted brick build¬ 
ings of 7,450 and 8,380 square feet area respec¬ 
tively, with a well-protected communication on the 
fourth floor, occupied as dry goods, clothing, sta¬ 
tionery and music stores, with offices in part; ele¬ 
vator, staffway, light well and rear window open¬ 
ings are all unprotected. Across the alley east is 
a joisted brick theater of 8,700 square feet area 
exposing both the above mentioned buildings. A 
heavy group fire is possible at this location. 

At several other points in the district large in¬ 
dividual or small group fires are possible, particu¬ 
larly at the northeast corner of Seventh and Locust, 
northeast corner Sixth and Locust, southwest cor¬ 
ner Seventh and Iowa, northwest corner Fifth and 
Iowa, southeast corner Main and First, and in the 
vicinity of Main and Jones streets; but in no case 
should the conflagration become general, except 
possibly under very adverse conditions. 

OUTSIDE OF PRINCIPAL MERCANTILE 
DISTRICT.—Clay Street Mercantile District.— 

Extending along both sides of Iowa street from 
Eleventh to Thirteenth and along Clay street north 
from Twelfth and continuing out Couler avenue to 
approximately Twenty-second street, is a minor 
mercantile district, compactly built in part. This 
district is of intermixed brick and frame construc¬ 
tion, the former type predominating. Heights 
range up to 3 stories and areas are small or mod¬ 
erate. The district is subject to some local group 
fires but the general conflagration hazard is small. 

East and South Manufacturing and Lumber 
District. —Bounded by the southern and eastern 
limits of the principal mercantile district, Second, 
Bluff, a line 500 feet south of Dodge, South Lo¬ 
cust, Southern avenue, a line 600 feet south of 
Railroad avenue, Mississippi river, Eighth, Syca- 


24 


CONFLAGRATION HAZARD. 


more (extended), Thirteenth, Pine, Twelfth, Elm, 
Eleventh, White and Tenth streets. This district 
contains most of the large manufacturing plants, 
considerable lumber and some minor mercantile 
groups. 

In the portion bounded by the C. M. & St. P. 
R. R., Jones street, the Mississippi river, and 
Eighth street the conflagration hazard is large, 
owing to the presence of much lumber. This forms 
a serious flying brand hazard to the manufacturing 
plants and the principal mercantile district lying 
to the west. Several railroads pass through or near 
the lumber piles and there are a number of manu¬ 
facturing plants, including a sprinklered saw-mill, 
ice houses and other risks capable of creating! 
serious fire conditions. The city water supply in 
this section is extremely poor; this is offset to a 
certain degree by the river and several sloughs, 
which are available for fire engine suction. 

In the part bounded by Seventh, C. M. & St. P. 
R. R., Tenth, Cedar, Twelfth, Sycamore, Thir¬ 
teenth, Pine, Elm, Eleventh and White, is a close 
grouping of large manufacturing plants, several of 
which cover a block or more in area. The plants 
are mostly of brick construction, I to 4 stories 
high, although there are also many i-story frame 
sheds and additions. The three largest plants, in¬ 
volving about six blocks, are sprinklered in the 
major portion, greatly reducing the chances of 
serious fires originating in this section. The most 
dangerous condition is that created by a high 1- 
story brick lumber shed covering an entire block 
(bounded by Jackson, Seventh, Washington and 
Eighth) and without dividing walls. Although the 
most seriously exposed group of buildings, which 
is across the street west, is sprinklered, the hazard 
must be classed as severe. Except for the flying 
brand hazard, the exposure of this section to the 
surrounding territory is comparatively moderate. 

At the vicinity of South Locust and Dodge streets 
is a close grouping of brick and frame manufactur¬ 
ing plants and warehouses involving a rather bad 
local hazard but little general conflagration hazard. 
Elsewhere, the district is subject to some severe in¬ 
dividual and group fires, which, however, should be 
confined, owing to open surroundings. 


Northeast Manufacturing District. —Bounded 
by Elm, Fifteenth, C. M. & St. P. R. R., Nineteenth 
to Lynn, a line 500 feet south of and parallel to the 
main line of the C. M. & St. P. R. R., Stafford (pro¬ 
duced), Garfield, Kniest, Rhomberg, Elm, 
Eighteenth, Washington, and Seventeenth. This 
district contains several small to moderately large 
manufacturing plants, with the C. M. & St. P. R. R. 
shops at the northeastern end. It is subject to 
severe individual fires and several of the plants have 
small lumber yards in connection. Three plants are 
sprinklered. 

Other Districts. —Extending west on Eighth 
street for about two blocks from the principal mer¬ 
cantile district are minor mercantiles, with a large, 
5-story joisted brick hotel at the corner of Bluff 
street seriously exposed by a large stable to the 
west. Although ordinarily a fire at this point should 
be prevented from spreading, under adverse condi¬ 
tions it could involve the mercantile district. 

The residential districts on the lower elevations 
show a moderate hazard due to some close group¬ 
ings of shingle-roofed frame buildings. Those on 
the higher elevations are cut up by numerous gul¬ 
lies or depressions so that the hazard should be 
largely local; the overhanging exposure, however, 
from the districts below is considerable. 

CONCLUSIONS. —Although individual build¬ 
ing conditions are weak, the water supply poor, the 
fire department inadequate, the fire alarm system 
poorly cared for, and several locations are subject 
to bad fires, the conflagration hazard of the princi¬ 
pal mercantile district, as a whole, is small, owing 
largely to the long and narrow character of the dis¬ 
trict, with a prevalence of blank party walls, making 
it difficult for a fire to sweep its length. This dis¬ 
trict, however, and the manufacturing plants imme¬ 
diately to the east are seriously exposed by a large 
amount of lumber lying east between the railroad 
and the river. Scattered around the city are numer¬ 
ous locations at which severe individual and small 
group fires are possible and the water supply in 
most of these instances is extremely weak; but the 
surroundings are mainly such that little difficulty 
should be experienced in preventing the spread of 
fire. 


25 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


WATER SUPPLY. 

Organisation. 

1. That the department be strengthened as fol¬ 
lows : 

a. By requiring suitable qualifications for all offi¬ 
cers and employees and by making the terms of 
office indefinite, so that properly qualified incum¬ 
bents may be removed only for cause. 

b. By employing a competent engineer, to have 
charge of the engineering details of the work. 

Records. 

2. That records of construction and operation be 
prepared and maintained as follows: 

a. Complete plans showing location of all equip¬ 
ment, reservoirs, well systems, intakes, suction and 
discharge mains, with all gates and connections 
clearly shown. 

b. A complete general plan of the distribution 
system, showing all mains, hydrants, valves and 
private fire services. 

c. Complete detail plans showing locations of all 
mains, hydrants, valves, and service connections. 

d. A system for recording in convenient form all 
data relative to pumpage and consumption, size and 
number of services, number of services metered, and 
consumption for other than domestic purposes. 

e. Card index records with details of sizes and 
location of all hydrants, valves and services. 

3. That suitable filing facilities be provided in 
fireproof vaults. 

Fire Service and Emergency Operations. 

4. That proper arrangements be made to obtain 
all fire alarms at the pumping stations and the of¬ 
fice of the water department; that a telephone be 
installed in the home of the chief engineer; and 
that an employee familiar with the distribution sys¬ 
tem be assigned to attend fires. 

Supply Works. 

5. That a distributing reservoir be constructed 
at sufficient elevation to give pressures in the prin¬ 
cipal mercantile district of about 100 pounds and 
having a capacity of at least 4,000,000 gallons, and 
be connected with the 20-inch main in the principal 
mercantile district by a main at least 24-inches in 
diameter. If this reservoir is not constructed, there 
should be provided additional mains and additional 
pumping capacity at the Eagle Point station, as 
mentioned under Improvements, page 10, sufficient 
to secure the required protection. 

Pumping Stations. 

6 . That additional equipment be provided as fol¬ 
lows : 

a. At the Eagle Point station, one 5,000,000-gal¬ 
lon pump designed to raise water into the distribu¬ 
ting reservoir recommended above. 

b. At the Level, one 3,000,000-gallon pump, with 
provision for sufficient electrical power, to oper¬ 
ate it. 


7. That automatic sprinklers be installed in both 
stations, and that two hose houses be erected at each 
plant over post hydrants, and be fully equipped with 
hose and nozzles so that any part of the stations 
can be readily reached. 

Mains. 

8. That the department adopt and follow in all 
future construction some well defined plan for a 
distribution system, paying particular attention to 
location of main arteries and secondary feeders, 
with provision for the future growth and relative 
fire hazards of the districts, so as to obtain fire 
protection as follows: 

a. In outlying residential districts, a minimum of 
i,5°o gallons per minute. 

b. In well built-up residential districts, 2,000 to 
3,000 gallons per minute. 

c. In minor mercantile districts, 4,000 gallons per 
minute. 

d. In manufacturing and important mercantile 
districts, 6,000 gallons per minute. 

This supply to be available in manufacturing dis¬ 
tricts about any large building or group of build¬ 
ings of special hazard, and in mercantile and resi¬ 
dential districts about any block; in localities where 
direct hydrant streams are depended upon, these 
quantities should be available at hydrant pressures 
of not less than 80 pounds in manufacturing and 
mercantile districts and 60 pounds in residential 
districts. 

9. That to accomplish this the following be adopt¬ 
ed as the minimum size of mains used for hydrant 
supply: 

a. Eor residential districts, 6- and 8-inch, the 
former only to be used where the gridiron is suf¬ 
ficiently strong. 

b. For minor mercantile and less important man¬ 
ufacturing districts where the gridiron is frequently 
supported by large sized mains, 8-inch. 

c. Eor manufacturing and mercantile districts, 8- 
inch and 12-inch, the former only to be used where 
a good gridiron is thus completed. 

10. That a well defined plan be adopted for the 
removal within 5 years of all 4-inch mains fur¬ 
nishing hydrant supply or forming a part of the 
gridiron, the same to be replaced according to the 
above recommendations, dead ends to be eliminated 
wherever practicable, and lines in parallel streets 
to be connected at all intersecting streets. 

Note.— The National Board believes that it is 
essentially the business of each municipality to lay 
out its own system of distributing mains, as it is 
best able to judge of present and future consump¬ 
tion in each district, and of other local conditions 
involving topography, paving, pressures, size and 
type of hydrant, etc., but practical experience has 
shown that the above quantities are required for 
good fire protection in districts such as are found 
in this city, and that a gridiron system of mains of 
the sizes recommended above is satisfactory only 


26 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


when cross-connected at all intersections, free from 
dead ends, and with larger secondary cross-feeder 
mains at frequent intervals. 

Gate Valves. 

11. That the distribution system be equipped with 
a sufficient number of gate valves, so located that 
no single case of accident, breakage or repair to 
the pipe system in important mercantile and man¬ 
ufacturing districts will necessitate shutting from 
service a length of main greater than the side of a 
single block, or a maximum of 500 feet, or in other 
districts lengths greater than two sides of a single 
block, with a maximum of about 800 feet. 

12. That inspections be made as follows: 

a. An inspection to be made at once of all valves 
on the system, necessary repairs made and boxes 
raised to street grades, so that they can be easily 
located and readily operated. 

b. All gate valves to be subsequently inspected 
at least once a year and maintained in good working 
order, and records kept of inspections and condi¬ 
tion and of all valves operated. 

13. That all gate valves opening to the left be 
so changed that they will open to the right, all to 
be provided with nuts of uniform size. 

Hydrants. 

14. That hydrants be provided as follows: 

a. In the mercantile and manufacturing districts, 
two hydrants at each street intersection and an in¬ 
termediate hydrant where the blocks exceed 400 feet 
in length. 

b. In the residential districts, one hydrant at each 
street intersection and intermediate hydrants for 
long blocks, so that linear spacing shall not exceed 
350 feet. 

15. That the hydrants in use opening to the left 
be changed so as to open to the right, to conform 
to the majority in service. 

16. That future installations of hydrants have one 
4^2-inch and two 2^-inch outlets, not less than 6- 
inch barrel, with foot-valve having a net area of 
not less than 20 square inches, and ■ 6-inch gated 
connection to main, and open to the right. 

17. That all hydrants in service having 4-inch 
barrels or branches be replaced according to the 
foregoing specifications; this substitution should be 
made at once in important mercantile and manufac¬ 
turing districts and in other sections according to 
a well-defined plan by which all such will be re¬ 
placed within 5 years. 

18. That measures be taken to confine the use of 
hydrants solely to the fire department. 

19. That the threads of hydrant outlets conform 
to the National Standard, which is as follows: 

Nominal Size of Outside Diameter of Threads, 

Connections, Male Thread, per 

Inches. Inches. Inch. 

3iV 7 2 

5 ! 4 

FIRE DEPARTMENT. 

Organization. 

20. That the strength of the department be in¬ 
creased : 


*a. By installing an 8-man engine company at 
Headquarters, Iowa and Ninth streets. 

*b. By changing Hose Company 4 to an 8-man 
engine company. 

c. By adding one man to each of Hose Companies 
Nos. s and 6. 

d. By making the Chemical Company a 7-man 
company, equipped with automobile apparatus. If 
this is not done, Engine Companies I, 2 and 
(proposed) 3 and the Ladder Company should be 
increased by one man each. 

e. By arranging meal hours in 3 shifts. 

Apparatus. 

21. That the following changes and additions to 
apparatus be made: 

*a. A 75-foot quick-raising aerial truck to replace 
the present aerial truck. 

*b. A modern light service truck with 50-foot 
extension ladder to replace the present light truck. 

*c. A modern first size engine and hose wagon 
with turret pipe for the recommended headquarters 
company. 

d. A modem first size engine for Engine Com¬ 
pany 1. The present Engine 1 to go with the new 
engine company at House No. 4. 

e. An automobile chemical engine for the chemi¬ 
cal company (as indicated under Recommendation 
20 d. 

f. A hose wagon with turret pipe for Engine 
Company 1. This should be of the combination type 
unless the automobile chemical engine is provided. 

Hose. 

22. That all hose wagons carry 200 feet or more 
of 3-inch hose for outside leads. 

23. That all 2> 4 - and 3-inch hose be fitted with 
2^4-inch National Standard couplings as given in 
Recommendation No. 19, couplings on 3-inch hose 
to be properly beveled. 

Minor Equipment. 

24. That the following equipment be provided. 

a. To Hose Wagon No. 2: a turret pipe. 

*b. To the aerial truck: a ladder pipe. 

c. To each ladder truck: a modern cellar pipe, 
deluge set, hose roller, smoke mask, marine torch, 
life net, 2 portable extinguishers, 2 pompier ladders, 
life belts and lines and 4 waterproof salvage covers. 

d. To each hose wagon: a plaster hook, rope, door 
opener, Siamese connection, modern pipe holder, 
shut-off nozzle with adjustable tips up to 114-inch, 
and 2 portable chemical extinguishers. 

Fuel. 

25. That one ton of engine coal be stored conven¬ 
iently at each engine house. 

Operation. 

26. That a drill school, in charge of a competent 
officer, be established where all members, especially 
new men, shall be drilled in the use of pompier and 
other ladders, quick handling of hose, use of chemi- 

* Recommended also by the chiel of the fire department. 


27 


/ 



RECOMMENDATIONS 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


cals and shut-off nozzles, deluge sets, siamesed lines 
and turret pipes and in life saving. 

27. That all engines be tested yearly, pumping 
for half an hour against a water pressure at least 
100 pounds in excess of hydrant (or suction) pres¬ 
sure. Pumps showing more than 7 per cent, slip 
should be examined and engines developing less 
than 90 per cent, of their reasonable capacity should 
be overhauled <^r their crews drilled; engines unable 
to discharge 500 gallons per minute after overhaul¬ 
ing should be replaced. 

28. That the second company arriving at a fire 
be ordered to connect to sprinkler or standpipe con¬ 
nections where these are available. 

FIRE ALARM SYSTEM. 

Headquarters. 

29. That headquarters be removed to a fireproof 
building free from exposures and internal hazards, 
where apparatus shall be placed on incombustible 
mountings and circuits shall enter underground and 
be carried in fireproof duct to the terminal board, 
and distributed in pipe or duct. Pending this, sand 
pails and extinguishers should be provided in the 
present fire alarm rooms. 

Additional Apparatus. 

30. That the following apparatus be installed: 

a. An additional 5-circuit repeater. 

b. A 6-circuit, slate, battery-charging board. 

c. A slate terminal board with i-ampere fuses, 
p2-ampere heat coils and approved lightning arrest¬ 
ers for each conductor. 

d. Metal battery racks, with cells mounted on 
glass strips on porcelain, with wiring on insulated 
supports and soldered and painted at cell ends. 

e. A stamp or punch register at each fire house 
with a time-stamp at headquarters. The use of the 
numerical indicators in fire houses to be discon¬ 
tinued. 

Circuits. 

31. That the reliability of the system be increased : 

a. By connecting gongs and registers at all fire 
stations to separate closed alarm circuits from fire 
alarm headquarters. 

b. By providing a special ringing circuit, operat¬ 
ing by magneto or otherwise, connecting each fire 
station, whereby any company may call all others 
for the transmission of alarms by telephone. 

c. By connecting not more than 20 boxes to any 
one circuit. 

d. By placing circuits in fire houses in conduit; 
to enter underground at those houses in or near the 
underground district. 

e. By placing circuits underground wherever 
ducts are provided, using No. 14 rubber covered 
copper wire in lead sheathing; this district to be ex¬ 
tended as rapidly as possible to include all thickly 
built-up sections. 

f. By removing overhead circuits from poles car¬ 
rying other than signalling wires, and, when car¬ 


ried near other wires or through trees, using aerial 
cable or No. 10 copper with rubber and double- 
braided insulation. Fire alarm wires to be carried 
above all other wires. 

Boxes. 

32. That additional boxes be installed, so that a 
box shall be within 500 feet of every building in 
mercantile and manufacturing sections and else¬ 
where within 800 feet of every group of buildings. 
Attention is called to the locations mentioned on 
page 17. 

33. That boxes be mounted as follows: 

a. In thickly built-up districts, on substantial iron 
posts, conspicuously located and painted, and con¬ 
taining ample room for terminals. * 

b. In the underground district, as in a, with 
underground connection by laterals to the subway. 

c. In other districts, on conspicuously located 
poles, distinctively marked, with lead wires to boxes 
carried in pipe to the cross-arms. 

34. That all boxes be provided with glass panel 
doors or keys attached under guard. 

35. That future installation of boxes be of the 
positive non-interfering, successive type, with plati¬ 
num or silver breaks, a proper shunt for protection 
against abnormal currents and with outer cases 
adequately grounded; centrally located boxes of 
inferior types to be shifted to outlying sections, and 
to be altered or replaced as rapidly as possible to 
conform to the above requirements. 

Telephone System. 

36. That the Dubuque Telephone Company make 
provision at its exchange for calling all companies 
simultaneously. 

Operation. 

37. That the speed of boxes be increased; if 
necessary, the tower bell to be operated on a sepa¬ 
rate circuit or disconnected from the system. 

38. That all boxes be placed in good condition 
and that they be tested monthly and after every 
electrical storm and record be kept of all tests, 
troubles and of daily condition of batteries and cir¬ 
cuits. 

FIRE DEPARTMENT AUXILIARIES. 

39. That the police patrol wagon carry ropes for 
fire lines and regularly attend all alarms in the 
mercantile and manufacturing sections. 

40. That the gas and electric companies regularly 
send men to fires who shall report to and assist the 
fire chief, by cutting off services or as he may direct. 
These companies should have fire alarm gongs in¬ 
stalled at their offices or works, as provided in the 
city ordinance. 

41. That the owners of extensive establishments 
be encouraged to equip their premises with properly 
installed auxiliary boxes or with some approved 
automatic or manual alarm system, or both. 


28 


RECOMMENDATIONS. 


BUILDING DEPARTMENT. 

42. That a building code, conforming to modern 
requirements for construction and fire prevention, 
as given in the National Board building code, espe¬ 
cially as to the limitations of heights and areas, re¬ 
quirements for modern types of construction and 
protection to openings in floors and in external and 
internal walls, be adopted at the earliest possible 
date. 

43. That a suitably qualified building inspector 
be appointed to enforce the provisions of the new 
code when enacted, such inspector to hold office 
during the proper performance of his duties. 

44. That the fire limits be extended, that the con¬ 
struction outside these limits be so regulated as to 
prevent the deyelopment of dangerous conditions, 
and that incombustible roof coverings be required 
throughout the city on all new or repaired buildings. 

EXPLOSIVES AND INFLAMMABLES. 

45. That a complete code of regulations govern¬ 
ing the manufacture, sale, storage and transporta¬ 
tion of all explosive and inflammable substances be 
adopted by ordinance. It is suggested that the 
rules of the Municipal Explosives Commission of 
the City of New York be used as a guide in framing 
new laws. 

46. That a properly qualified member of the fire 
department be detailed to make continuous inspec¬ 
tions of the business and manufacturing districts 
for the purpose of securing the removal of rubbish, 
the elimination of the common causes of fire, and 

November, 1909. 


for the enforcement of the explosive and inflam¬ 
mable regulations, the fire department officers to 
continue their inspections as at present. 

ELECTRICITY. 

47. That provision be made by ordinance for the 
proper municipal control over all inside and outside 
wiring, adopting the National Electrical Code as the 
standard. 

48. That a properly qualified electrical inspector 
be appointed for an indefinite term, to be removed 
only for cause, and whose certificate of approval 
will be required before current may be supplied to 
a new or altered installation. 

49. That a complete inspection of old wiring be 
made immediately, defects corrected, and that all 
wiring be subsequently reinspected once a year. 

50. That all overhead wiring in the closely built 
sections, except trolley wires, be placed under¬ 
ground, and that the use of distributing poles be 
discontinued. 

51. That systematic periodical tests for electrol¬ 
ysis be made and steps taken to secure the elimina¬ 
tion of dangerous conditions wherever found. 

CONFLAGRATION HAZARD. 

52. That prompt measures be taken to relieve 
hazardous conditions by enforcing adequate window 
and skylight protection. 

53. That automatic sprinkler equipments be re¬ 
quired in all buildings which, by reason of their 
size, construction or occupancy, singly or combined, 
might act as conflagration breeders. 


29 


Dubuque, Iowa. 


GENERAL SUMMARY. 

CITY IN GENERAL. 

Population about 45,000. Important manufacturing and lumber center. Moderate grades in mer¬ 
cantile and manufacturing sections; steep grades to residential district on bluff. Street widths fair; 
principal streets paved and in good condition; many outlying streets in poor condition. Numerous over¬ 
head wires and railroad grade crossings. Average wind velocity moderate, and mercantile district 
sheltered from prevailing winds. Winter temperatures severe. Average number of fires high; losses 
unobtainable. 

FIRE-FIGHTING FACILITIES. 

Water Supply. —Works owned and operated by the municipality; organization fair, except for lack 
of engineering ability; no records. Supply from wells and underground stream; distributed in two serv¬ 
ices; Low service supplied by direct pressure with small equalizing reservoir, High service from stand¬ 
pipe. Yield of wells sufficient for little more than present domestic consumption; storage small; ample emer¬ 
gency supply available from Mississippi river. Res;rve pumping capacity lacking in both stations; much 
combustible material in buildings, fire hazards poorly guarded, and inadequate fire protection provided. 
Supply practically dependent upon a single main. Consumption small. Pressures poorly maintained 
under fire draft. Secondary feeders lacking throughout; minor distributers small and without gridiron¬ 
ing; dead ends generally used for supplying hydrants. Condition of mains good. Gate valves and 
hydrants widely spaced, poorly distributed, badly maintained and without proper inspection; many 
hydrants are too small. 

Fire Department. —Full paid, under civil service rules; supervision divided. Experienced chief. 
Methods of appointment good, but requirements low. Financial support low. Department under¬ 
manned. Engine and ladder companies have long up-hill runs to important residential section. One 
ladder truck in poor condition; other apparatus mostly in good condition. Only two engines in service 
and reserve engines too small. Hose supply adequate, except for lack of 3-inch hose. Minor equipment 
deficient; no appliances for throwing powerful streams. Engine fuel good. Personnel and discipline 
fair. No regular drills for all members. Response to alarms well arranged for the force available. 
Methods of handling ordinary fires good; not enough men and apparatus for controlling serious fires. 
Department officers make inspections to familiarize themselves with building conditions. 

Fire Alarm System. —Automatic system, a part of the fire department. Maintenance poor; appa¬ 
ratus, circuits and boxes in generally poor condition. Headquarters in building of ordinary construc¬ 
tion, containing numerous hazards. Apparatus and wiring not well installed or sufficiently protected. 
No separate alarm circuits. Recently installed boxes satisfactory, but all others have unreliable break 
and actuating mechanism and most have unreliable cut-outs. Keys are detached and few key signs 
provided. Boxes recently painted, but some are inconspicuously located. Distribution good in the 
mercantile district, fair to poor elsewhere. All circuits are overhead, although underground duct is 
available throughout the mercantile section. Circuits on poles with high tension lines or through trees 
at many points; wires bare or with ragged insulation. Grounds, crosses and burn-outs frequent. Tests 
irregular and no records kept. Nearly all alarms transmitted by telephone, causing considerable con¬ 
fusion and delay. 

Fire Department Auxiliaries. —Fire department officers perform part of fire marshal’s duties; 
records incomplete. No recent incendiary fires. Police render slight aid at fires; public service cor¬ 
porations assist only on request. Telephone service by two companies, widely distributed and generally 
used for sending alarms; exchange of one company in ordinary building with serious hazards and 
exposures, and unsatisfactory provision for handling alarms. Small watch service; office in ordinary 
building with poor wiring; service being improved. Several private sprinkler and manual alarms; sprin¬ 
kler alarms unreliable, others regularly tested. Considerable private fire apparatus; of value only to 
individual risks. A small amount of outside aid quickly available; more substantial aid available within 
4 hours. 

Summary. —Water supply inadequate in nearly all sections of the city, and liable to interruption 
owing to lack of reserve pumping capacity, hazardous conditions at pumping station buildings and prac¬ 
tical dependence upon a single force main. Fire department fairly efficient but undermanned; much 
additional apparatus needed; the department has not kept pace with the growth of the city. Fire alarm 
system inadequate and unreliable owing to hazards at headquarters, poor installation of apparatus and 
circuits, poor distribution of boxes and poor maintenance. 

STRUCTURAL CONDITIONS AND HAZARDS. 

Building Department.—Building laws of little value and practically no supervision maintained 
over building operations further than an examination of plans and specifications. Fire limits small and 
frame construction may be erected within them on special permit. 

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GENERAL SUMMARY. 


Explosives and Inflammables.—Regulations inadequate to prevent the development of dangerous 
conditions. Fire department officers make at least annual inspections of buildings and order the removal 
of rubbish. Much improper handling of gasoline and other hazardous conditions noted; considerable rub¬ 
bish in alleys. 

Electricity.—No supervision over the installation of inside wiring other than to a small extent by 
the lighting company; some new work being installed only in a fair manner and much old work in a 
hazardous condition. North and south streets of business districts free from overhead wire obstruc¬ 
tions but these occur on cross streets and in alleys. Reported trouble from electrolysis is slight. 

Conflagration Hazard.—As a whole, small in the principal mercantile district, owing to its long and 
narrow character with a prevalence of blank party walls making it difficult for a fire to sweep its 
length. Severe local group fires, however, are possible, owing to the presence of some large buildings 
lacking in fire-resistive features, a poor water supply, a fire department too small to cope successfully 
with the fire conditions that can easily develop, and a poorly cared for fire alarm system. Some serious 
exposures to the main district, particularly from a lumber section to the east. Except for the large 
amount of lumber, the general conflagration hazard of the manufacturing districts would also be small 
and although some heavy group fires could easily occur, no general fire should result. The residential 
districts involve only a small hazard; the exposure of the low mercantile and manufacturing districts 
to the high residential districts is considerable. 


6252C 


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